S.Amdt. 2201

1. Rewrites section 712

   Replaces

   In S. 1197 · Placed on Calendar Senate

   Struck: SEC. 712. SENSE OF SENATE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEGRATED ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

   Struck: (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:

   Struck: (1) The electronic health records systems used by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs have been independently developed and implemented by each Department. As a result, and despite more than 15 years of efforts including numerous initiatives and programs, full interoperability between the systems has yet to be achieved.

   Struck: (2) The lack of full interoperability between the health records systems negatively impacts members of the Armed Forces who separate from military service and transition to veteran status. Medical records may be lost, requiring patients to repeat tests, increase overall costs, and further exacerbate the backlog of disability claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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   Struck: (3) The Government Accountability Office has identified several problems that the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs face in their efforts to achieve full interoperability of their health records systems. The Government Accountability Office points to the failure of the Departments to define performance goals and measures that would allow for program management and assessment of progress. The Government Accountability Office also highlights inadequate management in the Departments and the Interagency Program Office, which oversees the integration of Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs medical records.

   Struck: (4) The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 directed the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to jointly develop and implement fully interoperable health record capabilities by September 30, 2009.

   Struck: (b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that--

   Struck: (1) despite clear congressional direction, years of effort, and the expenditure of significant resources, full electronic interoperability between the health records systems of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs has not been achieved;

   Struck: (2) the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, should fully staff the Interagency Program Office and provide it with a robust charter meeting the original intent of Congress;

   Struck: (3) the Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, should establish challenging, but achievable, deadlines for the development and implementation of measures and goals for electronic health records for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs, including measures and goals relating to--

   Struck: (A) the creation of a health data authoritative source;

   Struck: (B) the ability of patients of both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to download their medical records (commonly referred to as the "Blue Button Initiative");

   Struck: (C) the full interoperability of personal health care information between the Departments;

   Struck: (D) the standardization of health care data between the Departments;

   Struck: (E) the acceleration of the exchange of real-time health care data between the Departments;

   Struck: (F) the upgrade of the graphical user interface to display the new standardized health care data of the Departments; and

   Struck: (G) the provision to members of the Armed Forces of access to an electronic copy of their health care records throughout the course of their military career; and

   Struck: (4) the Interagency Program Office should establish a secure, remote, network-accessible computer storage system (commonly referred to as "cloud storage") to--

   Struck: (A) provide members of the Armed Forces and veterans the ability to upload their health care records; and

   Struck: (B) allow medical providers of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to access such records in the course of providing care to members of the Armed Forces and veterans.

   Inserted: SEC. 712. TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF INTEROPERABLE ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS.

   Inserted: (a) Timeline.--The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly--

   Inserted: (1) ensure that the electronic health record systems of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs are interoperable through compliance with the national standards and architectural requirements identified by the Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs Interagency Program Office, in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology of the Department of Health and Human Services; and

   Inserted: (2) by not later than December 31, 2016, provide for the deployment by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs of modernized electronic health record software supporting Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs clinicians in a manner that ensures continuing compatibility with the interoperability platform and full standards-based interoperability.

   Inserted: (b) Implementation.--In implementing the interoperability of electronic health records under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly consider the feasibility and advisability of each of the following:

   Inserted: (1) The creation of a health data authoritative source by the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs that can be accessed by multiple providers and standardizes the input of new medical information.

   Inserted: (2) The ability of patients of both the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to download the medical records of the patient (commonly referred to as the "Blue Button Initiative").

   Inserted: (3) Enabling each current member of the Armed Forces and dependent of such a member to elect to receive an electronic copy of the health care record of such individual.

   Inserted: (4) The establishment of a secure, remote, network-accessible computer storage system (commonly referred to as "cloud storage") to provide members of the Armed Forces and veterans the ability to upload the health care records of the member or veteran if the member or veteran elects to do so and allow medical providers of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs to access such records in the course of providing care to the member or veteran.

   Inserted: (c) Reports.--

   Inserted: (1) Status report.--Not later than January 1, 2014, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to Congress a report setting forth a description of the current progress of the Secretaries in achieving the full interoperability of personal health care information between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The report shall include a description and assessment of lessons learned by the Secretaries as a result of efforts undertaken by the Secretary before the report to achieve the full interoperability of such information.

   Inserted: (2) Plan to meet timeline.--Not later than March 31, 2014, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall jointly submit to Congress a report setting forth the plan of the Secretaries to meet the timeline specified in subsection (a)(2), and any associated deadlines and objectives.

   Original wording

   Strike section 712 and insert the following:

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed