[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1579 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1579

         To create a standard soldier patient tracking system.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2007

Mr. Buchanan (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, and Mr. Shays) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
         To create a standard soldier patient tracking system.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care 
Patient Tracking Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF A STANDARD SOLDIER PATIENT TRACKING SYSTEM.

    (a) Requirement.--The Surgeons General of the military departments 
shall develop a joint soldier tracking system for medical holdover 
patients. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs shall 
have access to the tracking system of each military department for 
purposes of monitoring trends and problems.
    (b) Functions.--
            (1) In general.--The tracking system developed under 
        subsection (a) shall allow each medical holdover patient, each 
        family member of such a patient, each commander of a military 
        installation retaining medical holdover patients, each patient 
        navigator, and ombudsman office personnel, at all times, to be 
        able to locate and understand exactly where a patient is in the 
        medical holdover process.
            (2) Additional functions.--The tracking system also shall 
        be designed to ensure that--
                    (A) the commander of each military installation 
                where medical holdover patients are located is able to 
                track appointments of such patients to ensure they are 
                meeting timeliness and other standards that serve the 
                patient; and
                    (B) each medical holdover patient is able to know 
                when his appointments and other medical evaluation 
                board or physical evaluation board deadlines will be 
                and that they have been scheduled in a timely and 
                accurate manner.
    (c) Matters Covered by Tracking System.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the tracking 
        system shall contain, at a minimum, information on the 
        following:
                    (A) The location of each medical holdover patient.
                    (B) The scheduled and anticipated appointments of 
                the patient.
                    (C) The timelines and deadlines of the processes 
                for evaluating the nature and extent of disabilities 
                affecting the patient, including timelines of the 
                medical evaluation board and physical evaluation board 
                evaluating to the patient.
                    (D) Any other information needed to conduct 
                oversight of care of the patient throughout the medical 
                holdover process.
            (2) Privacy exception.--Information relating to specific 
        medical treatment or conditions, or other information with 
        privacy concerns, may be withheld from the tracking system.
    (d) Updating.--The tracking system shall be updated daily by 
personnel that have access to the information described in subsection 
(c).
    (e) Medical Holdover Patient.--In this Act, the term ``medical 
holdover patient'' means a member of the Armed Forces, including a 
member of the National Guard or other reserve component, who is 
undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or therapy, or is otherwise 
in medical hold or holdover status, for an injury, illness, or disease 
incurred or aggravated while on active duty in the Armed Forces.
    (f) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and $4,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
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