113 S1863 IS: To establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a continuing medical education program for licensed medical professionals to increase knowledge and recognition of medical conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, and for other purposes. U.S. Senate 2013-12-19 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
II113th CONGRESS1st SessionS. 1863IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESDecember 19, 2013Mr. Brown introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' AffairsA BILLTo establish in the Department of Veterans Affairs a continuing medical education program for licensed medical professionals to increase knowledge and recognition of medical conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, and for other purposes.
1.
Department of Veterans Affairs continuing medical professional ed­u­ca­tion program
(a)
Establishment of continuing medical education program
(1)
In general
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish a continuing medical education program for medical professionals with the goal of—(A)increasing knowledge and recognition of medical conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans; and(B)improving outreach to veterans and family members of veterans.(2)
Education provided
The program shall include education on the following:(A)Dealing with patients who are veterans or family members of veterans.(B)Identifying and treating common mental and physical conditions of veterans and family members of veterans.(C)Programs and benefits available to veterans and family members of veterans through the following organizations:(i)The Department of Veterans Affairs.(ii)The Department of Labor.(iii)Such other Federal agencies and non-Federal organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate.(D)The health care system of the Department of Veterans Affairs.(E)Such other matters as the Secretary considers appropriate.(b)
Duration of program
The program shall be carried out during the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.(c)
Administration of program
(1)
In general
The Secretary shall carry out the program on an Internet website of the Department of Veterans Affairs.(2)
Curriculum and credit provided
The Secretary shall determine the curriculum of the program and the number of hours of credit to provide to participating medical professionals for continuing medical education.(3)
Accreditation
The Secretary shall ensure that the program is accredited in as many States as practicable.(4)
Consistency with existing rules
The Secretary shall ensure that the program is consistent with the rules and regulations of the following:(A)The medical licensing agency of each State in which the program is accredited.(B)Such medical credentialing organizations as the Secretary considers appropriate.(5)
User cost
The Secretary shall carry out the program at no cost to participating medical professionals.(d)
Medical professional defined
In this section, the term medical professional means any of the following individuals who are licensed by an appropriate medical authority in the United States and in good standing:(1)A doctor.(2)A nurse.(3)A physician assistant.(4)A psychologist.(5)A psychiatrist.(6)Such other individuals as the Secretary considers appropriate.