Restoring Accountability in Veterans Access to Health Care Act - Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to annually determine, and publish in the Federal Register, the five occupations of health care providers for which there is the largest staffing shortage throughout the VA. Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, based upon such determination, to recruit and appoint highly qualified health care providers to positions in those occupations.
Requires the Secretary to submit biennial reports assessing the staffing of each VA medical facility, including: (1) information on wait times and workload levels, (2) a plan to fill staffing shortages, and (3) an analysis of succession planning.
Directs the Secretary to implement a clinic management training program to provide in-person, standardized education on health care management to all managers of, and health care providers at, VA medical facilities, including training on how to: (1) manage the schedules of health care providers, (2) optimize the use of technology, (3) use data to meet the demand for health care, (4) use the VA appointment scheduling system, and (5) use physical plant space at VA facilities to ensure efficient flow and privacy for patients and staff.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5007 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5007
To assess staffing shortages at medical facilities of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 26, 2014
Mr. Ruiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Veterans' Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To assess staffing shortages at medical facilities of the Department of
Veterans Affairs, 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 ``Restoring Accountability in Veterans
Access to Health Care Act''.
SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF STAFFING SHORTAGE AND REPORT ON STAFFING OF
MEDICAL FACILITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) Staffing Shortage.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs shall
determine, and publish in the Federal Register, the five
occupations of health care providers of the Department of
Veterans Affairs for which there is the largest staffing
shortage throughout the Department.
(2) Recruitment and appointment.--Notwithstanding sections
3304 and 3309 through 3318 of title 5, United States Code, the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs, based upon a determination by
the Inspector General under paragraph (1) that there is a
staffing shortage throughout the Department with respect to a
particular occupation of health care provider, may recruit and
directly appoint highly qualified health care providers to a
position to serve as a health care provider in that particular
occupation for the Department.
(b) Reports.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and not later than December 31 of
each even numbered year thereafter until 2024, the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs shall submit to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of
the House of Representatives a report assessing the staffing of
each medical facility of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
(2) Elements.--Each report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) The results of a system-wide assessment of all
medical facilities of the Department to ensure the
following:
(i) Appropriate staffing levels for health
care providers to meet the goals of the
Secretary for timely access to care for
veterans.
(ii) Appropriate staffing levels for
support personnel, including clerks.
(iii) Appropriate sizes for clinical
panels.
(iv) Appropriate numbers of full-time
staff, or full-time equivalent, dedicated to
direct care of patients.
(v) The appropriate physician to patient
ratio (including for both primary and specialty
care), as compared to such ratio as it exists
on the date of the report.
(vi) Appropriate physical plant space to
meet the capacity needs of the Department in
that area.
(vii) Such other factors as the Secretary
considers necessary.
(B) An explanation of the measurable productivity
standards used to establish the levels in the
assessment described in subparagraph (A).
(C) A plan for addressing any issues identified in
the assessment described in subparagraph (A), including
a timeline for addressing such issues.
(D) A list of the current wait times and workload
levels for the following clinics in each medical
facility:
(i) Mental health.
(ii) Primary care.
(iii) Gastroenterology.
(iv) Women's health.
(v) Specialty care.
(vi) Ophthalmology.
(vii) Such other clinics as the Secretary
considers appropriate.
(E) A description of the results of the
determination of the Secretary under paragraph (1) of
subsection (a) and a plan to use direct appointment
authority under paragraph (2) of such subsection to
fill staffing shortages, including recommendations for
improving the speed at which the credentialing and
privileging process can be conducted.
(F) The current staffing models of the Department
for the following clinics, including recommendations
for changes to such models:
(i) Mental health.
(ii) Primary care.
(iii) Gastroenterology.
(iv) Women's health.
(v) Specialty care.
(vi) Ophthalmology.
(vii) Such other clinics as the Secretary
considers appropriate.
(G) A detailed analysis of succession planning at
medical facilities of the Department, including the
following:
(i) The number of positions in medical
facilities throughout the Department that are
not filled by a permanent employee.
(ii) The length of time each such position
described in clause (i) remained vacant or
filled by a temporary or acting employee.
(iii) A description of any barriers to
filling the positions described in clause (i).
(iv) A plan for filling any positions that
are vacant or filled by a temporary or acting
employee for more than 180 days.
(v) A plan for handling emergency
circumstances, such administrative leave or
sudden medical leave for senior officials.
(H) The number of health care providers who have
been removed from their position or have retired, by
provider type, during the two-year period preceding the
submittal of the report.
(I) Of the health care providers specified in
subparagraph (G) that have been removed from their
position, the following:
(i) The number of such health care
providers who were reassigned to another
position in the Department.
(ii) The number of such health care
providers who left the Department.
SEC. 3. CLINIC MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall
implement a clinic management training program to provide in-person,
standardized education on health care management to all managers of,
and health care providers at, medical facilities of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
(b) Elements.--The clinic management training program required by
subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1) Training on how to manage the schedules of health care
providers of the Department and training on customer service
and veteran-centered care, including proper planning procedures
for vacation, leave, and graduate medical education training
schedules.
(2) Training on the appropriate number of appointments that
a health care provider should conduct on a daily basis, based
on specialty.
(3) Training on how to determine whether there are enough
available appointment slots to manage demand for different
appointment types and mechanisms for alerting management of
insufficient slots.
(4) Training on how scheduling systems will be monitored
and how schedulers will be held accountable for accurate data.
(5) Training on how to properly use data to meet the demand
for health care, including the following:
(A) Training on determining the next available
appointment for each health care provider at the
medical facility.
(B) Training on determining the number of health
care providers needed to meet demand for health care at
the medical facility.
(C) Training on determining the number of exam
rooms needed to meet demand for such health care in an
efficient manner.
(6) Training on how to properly use the appointment
scheduling system of the Department, including any new
scheduling system implemented by the Department.
(7) Training on how to optimize the use of technology,
including the following:
(A) Telemedicine.
(B) Electronic mail.
(C) Text messaging.
(D) Such other technologies as specified by the
Secretary.
(8) Training on how to properly use physical plant space at
medical facilities of the Department to ensure efficient flow
and privacy for patients and staff.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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