[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4591 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4591


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 17, 2021

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit to Congress 
periodic reports on the costs, performance metrics, and outcomes of the 
 Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization 
                                program.

    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 ``VA Electronic Health Record 
Transparency Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. REPORTS ON COSTS, PERFORMANCE METRICS, AND OUTCOMES OF 
              DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD 
              MODERNIZATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 503 of the Veterans Benefits and 
Transition Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-407; 38 U.S.C. 5701 note prec.) 
is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection (f);
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection (e):
    ``(e) Quarterly Reports.--
            ``(1) Reports on costs of ehrm program.--Not later than 90 
        days after the date of the enactment of the VA Electronic 
        Health Record Transparency Act of 2021, and every 30 days after 
        the last day of each fiscal quarter thereafter until the 
        termination date specified in paragraph (3), the Secretary of 
        Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on 
        the costs of the Electronic Health Record Modernization program 
        of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Each such report shall 
        include, for the period covered by the report and for the total 
        period beginning on the date of the enactment of the VA 
        Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021 and ending on 
        the date of the submittal of the report, a description of all 
        actual expenses of, and driven by, such program, including any 
        such expenses paid using--
                    ``(A) any funds appropriated for the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs, for any source or account, expended 
                by any organizational element of the Department or by 
                the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization 
                Office for the Electronic Health Record Modernization 
                Program;
                    ``(B) any funds, from any source or account, 
                expended by any organizational element of the 
                Department for physical or technology infrastructure 
                modifications, enhancements, improvements, or 
                expansions at a facility of the Department necessitated 
                by, or related or pertaining to, the Electronic Health 
                Record Modernization Program; and
                    ``(C) any funds, from any source or account, 
                expended by any organizational element of the 
                Department or by the Federal Electronic Health Record 
                Modernization Office for consultants, support 
                contractors, or experts related or pertaining to the 
                Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.
            ``(2) Reports on performance metrics and outcomes.--Not 
        later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the VA 
        Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021, and every 30 
        days after the last day of each fiscal quarter thereafter until 
        the termination date specified in paragraph (3), the Secretary 
        of Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committees on Veterans' 
        Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives a report on 
        the performance metrics and outcomes of the Electronic Health 
        Record Modernization Program. Each such report shall include, 
        for the period covered by the report--
                    ``(A) a list of the quality, performance, safety, 
                or value metrics, key performance indicators, and other 
                diagnostic or evaluation criteria in use to assess the 
                Electronic Health Record Modernization Program and the 
                electronic health record system, in general and at 
                individual facilities, with respect to veterans, 
                employees of the Department, and Departmental 
                operations;
                    ``(B) an explanation of any change to any of such 
                metrics, indicators, and criteria compared to the 
                metrics, indicators, and criteria included in any 
                previous report submitted under this paragraph;
                    ``(C) the data supporting or demonstrating each 
                such metric, indicator, and criteria compared to the 
                data supporting or demonstrating such metric, 
                indicator, or criteria as included in the previous 
                report submitted under this paragraph; and
                    ``(D) a list of patient safety reports, incidents, 
                alerts, or disclosures at each facility of the 
                Department where the electronic health record system 
                has been implemented.
            ``(3) Termination date.--The requirement to submit a report 
        under paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 90 days 
        after the date on which the Secretary submits to the Committees 
        on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and House of Representatives 
        certification that the Electronic Health Record Modernization 
        program has been fully implemented.''; and
            (3) in subsection (f), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
        adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(3) The term `electronic health record system' means the 
        electronic health record system implemented pursuant to the 
        Electronic Health Record Modernization Program.
            ``(4) The term `Federal Electronic Health Record Management 
        Office' means the office established under section 1635(b) of 
        the Wounded Warrior Act (title XVI of Public Law 110-181; 10 
        U.S.C. 1071 note).
            ``(5) The term `facility of the Department' includes a 
        joint facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the 
        Department of Defense.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives November 16, 2021.

            Attest:

                                             CHERYL L. JOHNSON,

                                                                 Clerk.