[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5418 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5418


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 22, 2018

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

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                                 AN ACT


 
 To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to carry out the Medical 
      Surgical Prime Vendor program using multiple prime vendors.

    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 ``Veterans Affairs Medical-Surgical 
Purchasing Stabilization Act''.

SEC. 2. MEDICAL SURGICAL PRIME VENDOR PROGRAM.

    (a) Vendors.--In procuring certain medical, surgical, and dental 
supplies or laboratory supplies for medical centers of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall carry out 
the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor program, or successor program, in a 
manner that--
            (1) requires the Secretary to award contracts to multiple 
        regional prime vendors instead of a single nationwide prime 
        vendor; and
            (2) prohibits a prime vendor from solely designing the 
        formulary of such supplies.
    (b) Clinically Driven Sourcing.--
            (1) Expertise.--In carrying out the formulary of supplies 
        under the Medical Surgical Prime Vendor program, or successor 
        program, the Secretary shall ensure that each employee of the 
        Department of Veterans Affairs who conducts formulary analyses 
        or makes decisions with respect to including items on the 
        formulary has medical expertise relevant to the items for which 
        the employee conducts such analyses or makes such decisions.
            (2) Lists.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter with respect to 
        any updates, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 
        Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
        Senate a list of each employee described in paragraph (1) and 
        the relevant medical expertise of the employee, listed by the 
        categories of items in the formulary described in such 
        paragraph.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 21, 2018.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.