[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3546 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3546

  To require a study on the quality of care difference between mental 
health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department 
                   providers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 14, 2023

   Mr. Cornyn (for himself, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Bennet, and Mr. Tillis) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require a study on the quality of care difference between mental 
health and addiction therapy care provided by health care providers of 
     the Department of Veterans Affairs compared to non-Department 
                   providers, and for other purposes.

    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 Mental Health and Addiction 
Therapy Quality of Care Act''.

SEC. 2. STUDY ON QUALITY OF CARE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH AND 
              ADDICTION THERAPY CARE PROVIDED BY HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS 
              OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMPARED TO NON-
              DEPARTMENT PROVIDERS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall seek to 
enter into an agreement with an independent and objective organization 
outside the Department of Veterans Affairs under which that 
organization shall--
            (1) conduct a study on the quality of care difference 
        between mental health and addiction therapy care under the laws 
        administered by the Secretary provided by health care providers 
        of the Department compared to non-Department providers across 
        various modalities, such as telehealth, in-patient, intensive 
        out-patient, out-patient, and residential treatment; and
            (2) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives and publish on a publicly available website a 
        report containing the final results of such study.
    (b) Timing.--The Secretary shall ensure that the organization with 
which the Secretary enters into an agreement pursuant to subsection (a) 
is able to complete the requirements under such subsection by not later 
than 18 months after the date on which the agreement is entered into.
    (c) Elements.--The report submitted pursuant to subsection (a)(2) 
shall include an assessment of the following:
            (1) The amount of improvement in health outcomes from start 
        of treatment to completion, including symptom scores and 
        suicide risk using evidence-based scales, including the 
        Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale.
            (2) Whether providers of the Department and non-Department 
        providers are using evidence-based practices in the treatment 
        of mental health and addiction therapy care, including criteria 
        set forth by the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
            (3) Potential gaps in coordination between providers of the 
        Department and non-Department providers in responding to 
        individuals seeking mental health or addiction therapy care, 
        including the sharing of patient health records.
            (4) Implementation of veteran-centric care, including the 
        level of satisfaction of patients with care and the competency 
        of providers with the unique experiences and needs of the 
        military and veteran population.
            (5) Whether veterans with co-occurring conditions receive 
        integrated care to holistically address their needs.
            (6) Whether providers monitor health outcomes continually 
        throughout treatment and at regular intervals for up to three 
        years after treatment.
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