Pub. L. 102-139, tit. I, sec. 101

Sec. 101. (a) Regulations for Standards of Performance in Department of Veterans Affairs Laboratories.—(1) Within the 120-day period beginning on the date on which the Secretary of Health and Human Services promulgates final regulations to implement the standards required by section 353 of the Public Health 105 STAT. 743Service Act (42 U.S.C. 263a), the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in accordance with the Secretary’s authority under title 38, United States Code, shall prescribe regulations to assure consistent performance by medical facility laboratories under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of valid and reliable laboratory examinations and other procedures. Such regulations shall be prescribed in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and shall establish standards equal to that applicable to other medical facility laboratories in accordance with the requirements of section 353(f) of the Public Health Service Act. (2) Such regulations— (A) may include appropriate provisions respecting waivers described in section 353(d) of such Act and accreditations described in section 353(e) of such Act; and (B) shall include appropriate provisions respecting compliance with such requirements. (b) Report.—Within the 180-day period beginning on the date on which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs prescribes regulations required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a report on those regulations. (c) Definition.—As used in this section, the term “medical facility laboratories” means facilities for the biological, micro-biological, serological, chemical, immunohematological, hematological, biophysical, cytological, pathological, or other physical examination of materials derived from the human body for the purpose of providing information for the diagnosis, prevention, or treatment of any disease or impairment of, or the assessment of the health of, human beings.