[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4941-S4942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2606. Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. King) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2025 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 E of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 750. REPORT ON MEDICAL INSTRUMENT STERILIZATION.

       (a) Study Required.--
       (1) In general.--The Inspector General of the Defense 
     Health Agency shall conduct a study on the adequacy of 
     sterilization of medical instruments at medical facilities of 
     the Defense Health Agency.
       (2) Elements.--Each study required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following elements:
       (A) A description of the processes or checks used to ensure 
     medical instruments are sterilized prior to use on patients 
     at medical facilities of the Defense Health Agency.
       (B) A description of the policies and processes used to 
     identify and mitigate the use of insufficiently sterilized 
     medical instruments at such medical facilities and the 
     processes and timelines for informing patients of any such 
     near-miss (if any disclosure is required).
       (C) An identification of the aggregate number of adverse 
     events or near-misses as a result of insufficiently 
     sterilized medical instruments at such medical facilities 
     during the period beginning on January 1, 2022, and ending on 
     January 1, 2024.
       (D) A determination of primary factors that result in 
     insufficiently sterilized medical instruments at such medical 
     facilities.
       (E) A description of the extent to which unsterilized 
     medical instruments have impacted the operation of such 
     medical facilities.
       (F) An assessment of whether such medical facilities have 
     sufficient--
       (i) medical instruments;
       (ii) medical devices to timely clean and sterilize medical 
     instruments; and
       (iii) staff to sterilize medical instruments.
       (G) An assessment of whether staff at such medical 
     facilities are properly trained to sterilize medical 
     instruments.
       (H) A determination of the number of surgeries at such 
     medical facilities that were delayed or rescheduled as a 
     result of unsterilized medical instruments.

[[Page S4942]]

       (I) Recommendations to improve the sterilization of medical 
     instruments at such medical facilities, including an 
     identification and evaluation of existing options, such as 
     mobile sterilization units and coordinating with community 
     medical centers to expand surgical capacity.
       (J) An assessment of timely access to sterilization 
     products for medical instruments and devices.
       (K) An assessment of the sterilization product supply chain 
     serving medical facilities of the Defense Health Agency.
       (b) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
     Defense Health Agency shall submit to Congress a report on 
     the study required by subsection (a), which shall include an 
     action plan to consider and implement the recommendations 
     included in such study.
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