REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MEDICAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.

SEC. 719. REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MEDICAL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.(a) Report Required.—(1) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on actions taken in response to the recommendations of the July 2001 report of the Department of Defense Healthcare Quality Initiatives Review Panel.(2) Matters covered.—The report shall address the status of actions concerning each of the Panel’s general and specific recommendations, including the amount of resources allocated by fiscal year to implement each recommendation. In any instance in which no action has been taken, justification for such inaction shall be provided in the report.(b) Review Required.—(1) In general.—The Secretary of Defense shall enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, or another similarly qualified independent academic medical organization, for the purpose of conducting an independent review of the Department of Defense medical quality improvement program.(2) Elements.—The review required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include the following:(A) An assessment of the methods used by the Department of Defense to monitor medical quality in services provided in military hospitals and clinics and in services provided in civilian hospitals and providers under the military health care system.(B) An assessment of the transparency and public reporting mechanisms of the Department on medical quality.120 STAT. 2294(C) An assessment of how the Department incorporates medical quality into performance measures for military and civilian health care providers within the military health care system.(D) An assessment of the patient safety programs of the Department.(E) A description of the extent to which the Department seeks to address particular medical errors, and an assessment of the adequacy of such efforts.(F) An assessment of accountability within the military health care system for preventable negative outcomes involving negligence.(G) An assessment of the performance of the health care safety and quality measures of the Department.(H) An assessment of the collaboration of the Department with national initiatives to develop evidence-based quality measures and intervention strategies, especially the initiatives of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality within the Department of Health and Human Services.(I) A comparison of the methods, mechanisms, and programs and activities referred to in subparagraphs (A) through (G) with similar methods, mechanisms, programs, and activities used in other public and private health care systems and organizations.(3) Report.—(A) In general.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the review required pursuant to paragraph (1).(B) Elements.—The report required by subparagraph (A) shall include the following:(i) The results of the review required pursuant to paragraph (1).(ii) A discussion of recent highlights in the accomplishments of the Department of Defense medical quality assurance program.(iii) Such recommendations for legislative or administrative action as the Secretary considers appropriate for the improvement of the program.