[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 91 (Thursday, June 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4664. Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself and Mrs. Ernst) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 2943, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle I of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1097. PILOT PROGRAM ESTABLISHING A PATIENT SELF-
                   SCHEDULING APPOINTMENT SYSTEM FOR THE 
                   DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Pilot Program.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans 
     Affairs shall commence a pilot program under which veterans 
     use an Internet website to schedule and confirm appointments 
     for health care at medical facilities of the Department of 
     Veterans Affairs.
       (b) Selection of Locations.--The Secretary shall select not 
     fewer than three Veterans Integrated Services Networks in 
     which to carry out the pilot program under subsection (a).
       (c) Contracts.--
       (1) Authority.--The Secretary shall seek to enter into a 
     contract with one or more contractors that are able to meet 
     the criteria under paragraph (3) to provide the scheduling 
     and confirmation capability described in subsection (a).
       (2) Notice of competition.--
       (A) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue a 
     request for proposals for the contract described in paragraph 
     (1).
       (B) Open request.--The request for proposals issued under 
     subparagraph (A) shall be full and open to any contractor 
     that is able to meet the criteria under paragraph (3).
       (3) Selection of vendors.--Not later than 120 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     enter into a contract with one or more contractors that have 
     an existing commercially available online patient self-
     scheduling capability that--
       (A) allows patients to self-schedule, confirm, and modify 
     outpatient and specialty care appointments in real time 
     through an Internet website;
       (B) makes available, in real time, any appointments that 
     were previously filled but later canceled by other patients; 
     and
       (C) allows patients to use the online scheduling capability 
     24 hours per day, seven days per week.
       (4) Integration with existing infrastructure.--The 
     Secretary shall ensure that a contractor awarded a contract 
     under this section is able to integrate the online scheduling 
     capability of the contractor with the Veterans Health 
     Information Systems and Technology Architecture of the 
     Department.
       (d) Duration of Pilot Program.--
       (1) In general.--Except as provided by paragraph (2), the 
     Secretary shall carry out the pilot program under subsection 
     (a) during the 18-month period beginning on the commencement 
     of the pilot program.
       (2) Extension.--The Secretary may extend the duration of 
     the pilot program under subsection (a), and may expand the 
     selection of Veterans Integrated Services Networks under 
     subsection (b), if the Secretary determines that the pilot 
     program is reducing the wait times of veterans seeking health 
     care from the Department and ensuring that more available 
     appointment times are filled.
       (e) Report.--Not later than one year after commencing the 
     pilot program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
     submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate 
     and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives a report on the outcomes of the pilot 
     program, including--
       (1) whether the pilot program demonstrated--
       (A) improvements to the ability of veterans to schedule 
     appointments for the receipt of health care from the 
     Department; and
       (B) a reduction in wait times for such appointments; and
       (2) such recommendations for expanding the pilot program to 
     additional Veterans Integrated Services Networks as the 
     Secretary considers appropriate.
       (f) Use of Amounts Otherwise Appropriated.--No additional 
     amounts are authorized to be appropriated to carry out the 
     pilot program under subsection (a) and such pilot program 
     shall be carried out using amounts otherwise made available 
     to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the medical support 
     and compliance account of the Veterans Health Administration.
                                 ______