REPORT ON COORDINATION OF PROCUREMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.

SEC. 210. REPORT ON COORDINATION OF PROCUREMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE. (a) Requirement.—Not later than July 31, 2000, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs and the Secretary of Defense shall jointly submit to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services of the Senate and the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs and Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report on the cooperation between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense in the procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. (b) Report Elements.—The report under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) A description of the current cooperation between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense in the procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. 113 STAT. 1570 (2) An assessment of the means by which cooperation between the departments in such procurement could be enhanced or improved. (3) A description of any existing memoranda of agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense that provide for the cooperation referred to in subsection (a). (4) A description of the effects, if any, such agreements will have on current staffing levels at the Defense Supply Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Department of Veterans Affairs National Acquisition Center in Hines, Illinois. (5) A description of the effects, if any, of such cooperation on military readiness. (6) A comprehensive assessment of cost savings realized and projected over the five fiscal year period beginning in fiscal year 1999 for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense as a result of such cooperation, and the overall savings to the Treasury of the United States as a result of such cooperation. (7) A list of the types of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals for which cooperative agreements would not be appropriate and the reason or reasons therefor. (8) An assessment of the extent to which cooperative agreements could be expanded to include medical equipment, major systems, and durable goods used in the delivery of health care by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. (9) A description of the effects such agreements might have on distribution of items purchased cooperatively by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, particularly outside the continental United States. (10) An assessment of the potential to establish common pharmaceutical formularies between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. (11) An explanation of the current Uniform Product Number (UPN) requirements of each Department and of any planned standardization of such requirements between the Departments for medical equipment and durable goods manufacturers.