Us Code § 7311A - Quality management officers
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 7311A — Quality management officers, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 7311A. Quality management officers
(a)
(2) The National Quality Management Officer shall report directly to the Under Secretary for Health in the discharge of responsibilities and duties of the Officer under this section.
(3) The National Quality Management Officer shall be the official within the Veterans Health Administration who is principally responsible for the quality-assurance program referred to in paragraph (1). In carrying out that responsibility, the Officer shall be responsible for the following:
(A) Establishing and enforcing the requirements of the program referred to in paragraph (1).
(B) Developing an aggregate quality metric from existing data sources, such as the Inpatient Evaluation Center of the Department, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, and the External Peer Review Program of the Veterans Health Administration, that could be used to assess reliably the quality of care provided at individual Department medical centers and associated community based outpatient clinics.
(C) Ensuring that existing measures of quality, including measures from the Inpatient Evaluation Center, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, System-Wide Ongoing Assessment and Review reports of the Department, and Combined Assessment Program reviews of the Office of Inspector General of the Department, are monitored routinely and analyzed in a manner that ensures the timely detection of quality of care issues.
(D) Encouraging research and development in the area of quality metrics for the purposes of improving how the Department measures quality in individual facilities.
(E) Carrying out such other responsibilities and duties relating to quality management in the Veterans Health Administration as the Under Secretary for Health shall specify.
(4) The requirements under paragraph (3) shall include requirements regarding the following:
(A) A confidential system for the submittal of reports by Veterans Health Administration personnel regarding quality management at Department facilities.
(B) Mechanisms for the peer review of the actions of individuals appointed in the Veterans Health Administration in the position of physician.
(b)
(2) The quality management officer for a Veterans Integrated Services Network shall report to the Regional Director of the Veterans Integrated Services Network, and to the National Quality Management Officer, regarding the discharge of the responsibilities and duties of the officer under this section.
(3) The quality management officer for a Veterans Integrated Services Network shall—
(A) direct the quality management office in the Network; and
(B) coordinate, monitor, and oversee the quality management programs and activities of the Administration medical facilities in the Network in order to ensure the thorough and uniform discharge of quality management requirements under such programs and activities throughout such facilities.
(c)
(2) The quality management officer for a facility shall report directly to the director of the facility, and to the quality management officer of the Veterans Integrated Services Network in which the facility is located, regarding the discharge of the responsibilities and duties of the quality management officer under this section.
(3) The quality management officer for a facility shall be responsible for designing, disseminating, and implementing quality management programs and activities for the facility that meet the requirements established by the National Quality Management Officer under subsection (a).
(d)
(2) There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the provisions of subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D) of subsection (a)(3), $25,000,000 for the two-year period of fiscal years beginning after the date of the enactment of this section.
(Added Pub. L. 111–163, title V, §505(a)(1), May 5, 2010, 124 Stat. 1158.)
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 111–163, which was approved May 5, 2010.
About This Section
38 U.S.C. § 7311A is part of Title 38 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
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