DATA COLLECTION AND ACCESS TO CARE.

SEC. 11408. [14 U.S.C. 504 note] DATA COLLECTION AND ACCESS TO CARE. (a) In General.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Commandant, in consultation with the Defense Health Agency and any healthcare expert the Commandant considers appropriate, shall develop, and make publicly available, a policy to require the collection of data regarding access by members of the Coast Guard and their dependents to medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare as recommended by the Comptroller General of the United States in the report entitled “Coast Guard Health Care: Improvements Needed for Determining Staffing Needs and Monitoring Access to Care”, published in February 2022. (b) Elements.—The policy required by subsection (a) shall address the following: (1) Methods to collect data on access to care for— (A) routine annual physical health assessments; (B) flight physicals for aviators or prospective aviators; (C) sick call; (D) injuries; (E) dental health; and (F) behavioral health conditions. (2) Collection of data on access to care for referrals. (3) Collection of data on access to care for members of the Coast Guard stationed at remote units, aboard Coast Guard cutters, and on deployments. (4) Use of the electronic health record system to improve data collection on access to care. (5) Use of data for addressing the standards of care, including time between requests for appointments and actual appointments, including appointments made with referral services. (c) Publication and Report to Congress.—Not later than 90 days after the policy under subsection (a) is completed, or any subsequent updates to such policy, the Commandant shall— (1) publish the policy on a publicly accessible internet website of the Coast Guard; and (2) submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the policy and the manner in which the Commandant plans to address access-to-care deficiencies. (d) Periodic Updates.—Not less frequently than every 5 years, the Commandant shall review and update the policy required under subsection (a).