,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #eghf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #f1 #bjbj,mr4 ,gallego 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,joyce of ,ohio1 ,mr4 ,lamb1 ,mr4 ,joyce of ,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,gonzalez of ,ohio1 and ,mr4 ,timmons7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,veterans' ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs to make certain information publicly available on one internet website of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,va ,quality ,health ,care ,accountability and ,transparency ,act4 #b4 ,improved transparency by ,department of ,veterans ,affairs 7a7 ,publication of staffing and quality of care data ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,veterans ,affairs shall make publicly available on the ,access to ,care internet website of the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs 7or a successor website7 the information under subsection 7b74 7b7 ,information included 7#a7 ,in general ,the information published on the internet website under subsection 7a7 shall include-- 7,a7 any numeric indicators relating to timely care1 effective care1 safety1 and veteran-centered care that the ,secretary collects at medical facilities of the ,department pursuant to section #agjc;,c of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,b7 the staffing and vacancy information required by subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,d7 of section #eje7;a77#a7 of the ,,va ,,mission ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-ahb2 #ch ,u4,s4,c4 #cja note72 7,c7 the patient wait times information required by subsection 7a7 of section #bjf of the ,veterans ,access1 ,choice1 and ,accountability ,act of #bjad 7,public ,law #aac-adf2 #abh ,stat4 #aghj72 and 7,d7 the patient safety1 quality of care1 and outcome measures required by subsection 7b7 of such section4 7#b7 ,updates ,the ,secretary shall regularly update the internet website under subsection 7a7 to ensure that the information under paragraph 7#a7 is the most current information required by the provisions of law specified in such paragraph4 7c7 ,requirements of internet website ,in addition to the requirements of section #bjf7;b77#d7 of the ,veterans ,access1 ,choice1 and ,accountability ,act of #bjad 7,public ,law #aac-adf2 #abh ,stat4 #agha71 the ,secretary shall ensure that the internet website under subsection 7a7 meets the following requirements3 7#a7 ,the internet website is directly accessible from-- 7,a7 the main homepage of the publicly accessible internet website of the ,department2 and 7,b7 the main homepage of the publicly accessible internet website of each medical center of the ,department4 7#b7 ,where practicable1 the internet website is organized and searchable by each medical center of the ,department4 7#c7 ,the internet website is easily understandable and usable by the general public4 7d7 ,consultation and contract authority ,in carrying out subsection 7c77#c71 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 shall consult with veterans service organizations2 and 7#b7 may enter into a contract to design the internet website under subsection 7a7 with a company1 non-profit entity1 or other entity1 specializing in website design that has substantial experience in presenting health care data and information in a easily understandable and usable manner to patients and consumers4 7e7 ,accuracy of data 7#a7 ,annual process ,not later than #ah months after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall develop and implement an annual process to audit a generalizable subset of the data contained in the internet website under subsection 7a7 to assess the accuracy and completeness of the data4 7#b7 ,criteria ,the ,secretary shall ensure that each audit under subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 determines the extent that the medical record information1 clinical information1 data1 and documentation provided by each medical center of the ,department that is used to calculate the information under subsection 7b7 is accurate and complete2 7,b7 identifies any deficiencies in the recording of medical record information1 clinical information1 or data by medical centers of the ,department that affects the accuracy and completeness of the information under subsection 7b72 and 7,c7 provides recommendations to medical centers of the ,department on how to-- 7i7 improve the accuracy and completeness of the medical record information1 clinical information1 data1 and documentation that is used to calculate the information under subsection 7b72 and 7ii7 ensure that each medical center of the ,department provides such information in a uniform manner4 7#c7 ,independent validation ,the ,secretary shall enter into an agreement with the ,inspector ,general of the ,department1 or an entity other than the ,department selected by the ,secretary1 to validate each audit under subsection 7a74 7#d7 ,annual reports ,not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the findings of each audit under paragraph 7#a71 including the independent validation of the audit conducted under paragraph 7#c74 7f7 ,comptroller ,general review ,not later than three years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct a review of the internet website under subsection 7a7 to assess the degree to which the ,secretary is complying with this section and to provide recommendations to the ,secretary on how to improve the internet website4