[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 165 (Friday, August 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42983-42984]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18440]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Request for Information Regarding Health Care Standards 
for Quality

AGENCY: Office of Reporting, Analytics, Performance, Improvement, and 
Deployment (RAPID), Veterans Health Administration, Department of 
Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is requesting 
information to assist in establishing health care standards for quality 
regarding hospital care, medical services, and extended care services 
furnished by the Department, including through non-Department health 
care providers.

DATES: Comments must be received by VA on or before September 24, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov; by mail or hand delivery to the Director, Office 
of Regulation Policy and Management (00REG), Department of Veterans 
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Room 1063B, Washington, DC 20420; or by 
fax to (202) 273-9026. Comments should indicate that they are submitted 
in response to ``Notice of Request for Information Regarding Health 
Care Standards for Quality.'' Copies of comments received will be 
available for public inspection in the Office of Regulation Policy and 
Management (00REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue 
NW, Room 1063B, Washington, DC 20420, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. 
and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Federal holidays). Please 
call (202) 461-4902 (this is not a toll-free number) for an 
appointment. During the comment period, comments may also be viewed 
online through the Federal Docket Management System at 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Rossio, Health System 
Specialist, Office of Strategic Integration [bond] Veterans Engineering 
Resource Center (OSI[bond]VERC), Veterans Health Administration, 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 
20420, (858) 245-9493. This is not a toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The John S. McCain III, Daniel K. Akaka, and 
Samuel R. Johnson VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening 
Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018, Public Law 115-182, (the VA 
MISSION Act) created a new 1703C in title 38, United States Code 
(U.S.C.), that contains requirements for VA to facilitate the 
establishment and use of standards for quality. In establishing 
standards for quality, VA is required to consider existing health 
quality measures that are applied to public and privately sponsored 
health care systems with the purpose of providing covered Veterans 
relevant comparative information to make informed decisions regarding 
their health care. VA requests information from the public regarding 
the development of these standards for quality, including but not 
limited to information on the use of standards for quality and the use 
and availability of comparative information to assist consumers in 
making informed decisions regarding their health care. Responses to 
this notice will support industry research and VA's development of 
standards for quality regarding care furnished by the

[[Page 42984]]

Department, including through non-Department health care providers.
    Section 1703C(a)(4) specifically requires VA to consult with all 
pertinent Federal entities (including the Department of Defense, the 
Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare & 
Medicaid Services), entities in the private sector, and other non-
governmental entities in establishing standards for quality. We note 
that VA will also hold a public meeting on Monday, September 24, 2018, 
to provide these groups and entities an opportunity to provide 
additional information. The meeting notice is published elsewhere in 
this issue of the Federal Register and can also be found in 
www.regulations.gov under the title ``Announcement for Public Meeting 
Regarding Health Care Standards for Quality''. VA will use the comments 
it receives to help determine the health care standards for quality in 
compliance with the VA MISSION Act. VA will then submit a report, no 
later than March 3, 2019, as required by section 1703C(a)(5)(A), 
detailing the standards for quality to the appropriate committees of 
Congress.
    In order to submit a report to Congress detailing the standards for 
quality by March 3, 2019, VA must expedite this consultation, which 
will be foundational to the process of determining the health care 
standards for quality. Hence, this notice and request for information 
has a comment period of 30 days. VA believes that 30 days is sufficient 
to provide comments, as the groups and entities with expertise in 
standards for quality will likely have the information readily 
available or can quickly compile and submit such information.
    This notice is a request for information only. Commenters are 
encouraged to provide complete but concise responses to the questions 
outlined below. VA may choose to contact individual commenters, and 
such communications would serve to further clarify their written 
comments.

Request for Information

    VA requests information that will assist in developing the 
standards for quality required by the VA MISSION Act. This includes 
datasets that include, at a minimum, elements relating to timely care, 
effective care, safety (including, at a minimum, complications, 
readmissions, and deaths), and efficiency.
    Specifically, VA requests information related to the following:
    1. What standards for quality do public or private providers or 
health systems currently use? How do public or private providers or 
health systems measure performance against these standards for quality 
(i.e., what data sets and measures are employed)? How are those 
standards and measures used to make decisions regarding patient 
referrals to specific public or private providers?
    2. How does the health system communicate standards for quality to 
their stakeholders?
    3. How are data on quality standards obtained or collected from 
public or private providers and health systems?
    4. Does the public or private provider or health system publicly 
report performance on those quality standards, including comparisons of 
quality measures, and in what manner?
    5. How does the public or private provider or health system respond 
to findings when quality standards are not being met?

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert L. 
Wilkie, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on August 21, 2018, for publication.

    Dated: August 21, 2018.
Michael Shores,
Director, Regulation Policy & Management, Office of the Secretary, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-18440 Filed 8-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P