,,ii #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #bdja ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #bb1 #bjad ,mr4 ,tester 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,begich1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mr4 ,walsh1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 and ,mrs4 ,mc,caskill7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 to establish the ,office of the ,medical ,inspector within the ,office of the ,under ,secretary for ,health of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,increasing ,medical ,oversight in the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs ,act of #bjad4 #b4 ,office of the ,medical ,inspector 7a7 ,establishment ,subchapter ,i of chapter #gc of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following new section3 #gcaj4 ,office of the ,medical ,inspector 7a7 ,in general ,there is established in the ,department within the ,office of the ,under ,secretary for ,health an office to be known as the ,office of the ,medical ,inspector 7in this section referred to as the ,office74 7b7 ,head 7#a7 ,the ,medical ,inspector shall be the head of the ,office4 7#b7 ,the ,medical ,inspector shall be appointed by the ,secretary from among individuals qualified to perform the duties of the position4 7#c7 ,the ,medical ,inspector shall report directly to the ,under ,secretary for ,health4 7c7 ,functions ,the functions of the ,office shall include the following3 7#a7 ,to review the quality of health care provided to veterans-- 7,a7 by the ,department generally2 and 7,b7 by the ,department through contracts with non-,department health care providers4 7#b7 ,to review offices of the ,veterans ,health ,administration that have an impact on the quality of health care provided to veterans by the ,department and the performance of the ,department in providing such care4 7#c7 ,to review offices and facilities of the ,veterans ,health ,administration to ensure that policies and procedures of the ,department and the ,veterans ,health ,administration are applied consistently at all such offices and facilities4 7#d7 ,to investigate any systemic issues1 as determined by the ,medical ,inspector1 that arise within the ,veterans ,health ,administration1 including the following3 7,a7 ,improper issuance of credentials and privileges to health care providers4 7,b7 ,impediments to the access of veterans to health care from the ,department4 7,c7 ,wait times for appointments by veterans at medical facilities of the ,department in excess of wait-time goals established by the ,department4 7,d7 ,intentional falsification by employees of the ,department of information or data with respect to wait times for such appointments4 7#e7 ,to establish temporary investigative teams to carry out reviews or investigations described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71 7#c71 and 7#d7 in response to specific incidents or inquiries1 including the following3 7,a7 ,investigations of complaints by a veteran1 a family member of a veteran1 or another individual that may require a visit to a facility or facilities of the ,department4 7,b7 ,assessments to examine potential systemic issues within the ,veterans ,health ,administration that may require the conduct of surveys1 the collection of data1 and the analysis of databases of the ,department4 7#f7 ,to recommend policies to promote economy and efficiency in the administration of1 and to prevent and detect criminal activity1 waste1 abuse1 and mismanagement in1 programs and operations of the ,veterans ,health ,administration4 7#g7 ,to carry out any other tasks required of the ,office by the ,secretary or the ,under ,secretary for ,health before1 on1 or after the date of the enactment of this section4 7d7 ,reports 7#a7 ,not later than #cj days after the date of the enactment of this section1 and periodically thereafter1 the ,medical ,inspector shall submit to the ,secretary1 the ,under ,secretary for ,health1 and ,congress reports on any problems or deficiencies encountered in programs and operations of the ,veterans ,health ,administration1 including any recommendations for corrective actions4 7#b7 ,each report required by paragraph 7#a7 shall be made available to the public on an ,internet website of the ,department4 7#c7 ,any other report prepared by the ,medical ,inspector in carrying out the functions of the ,office under this section shall be-- 7,a7 submitted to ,congress2 and 7,b7 made available to the public on an ,internet website of the ,department4 7e7 ,privacy matters ,any medical or other personal information obtained by the ,office shall be protected from disclosure or misuse in accordance with the laws on privacy applicable to such information4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections at the beginning of chapter #gc of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #gcji the following new item3 #gcaj4 ,office of the ,medical ,inspector4 4 7c7 ,conforming amendments ,section #gcjf7;a7 of such title is amended by-- 7#a7 redesignating paragraph 7#aj7 as paragraph 7#aa72 and 7#b7 inserting after paragraph 7#i7 the following new paragraph 7#aj73 7#aj7 ,the ,medical ,inspector1 who shall be the head of the ,office of the ,medical ,inspector under section #gcaj of this title4 4 7d7 ,continuation in office ,the individual serving as the ,medical ,inspector of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs on the day before the date of the enactment of this ,act may serve as the ,medical ,inspector of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs after that date until the date on which the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs appoints an individual to be the ,medical ,inspector pursuant to section #gcaj7;b77#b7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code1 as added by subsection 7a74