Requirement that health care providers under Veterans Community Care Program provide certain data

(a) In general Beginning not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall require that covered providers electronically submit to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, data required to be collected and considered by the Secretary under section 1703C(a)(3) of title 38, United States Code. (b) Exclusion of covered providers The Secretary may not permit a covered provider to participate in the Veterans Community Care Program under section 1703 of title 38, United States Code, if the provider has not provided to the Secretary data required under subsection (a). (c) Other providers The Secretary shall encourage health care providers specified in section 1703(c) of title 38, United States Code, that are not covered providers to submit to the Secretary, on a voluntary basis, data described in subsection (a). (d) Type of data required and waiver (1) Type of data The Secretary shall determine the data required to be submitted by each type of covered provider under subsection (a). (2) Waiver The Secretary may waive the requirement to submit data under subsection (a) for a particular type of covered provider if the Secretary determines that the submittal by that type of provider of such data would not be appropriate or relevant. (e) List of high-Performing providers (1) In general Each Third Party Administrator (as defined in section 1703B of title 38, United States Code) shall publish and maintain a publicly available and user-friendly website, updated not less frequently than weekly, that contains an up-to-date list of all covered providers administered by the Third Party Administrator that— (A) have provided data described in subsection (a); and (B) are designated as high-performing providers, as determined by the Secretary. (2) Display of designation The Secretary shall ensure that the Provider Profile Management System, or any successor system, shows the designation of a covered provider as a high-performing provider under paragraph (1)(B). (3) Use of designation When scheduling an episode of care for a veteran with a health care provider, an employee of the Department shall consult a list under paragraph (1) or the Provider Profile Management System, or any successor system, to determine if the health care provider is designated as a high-performing provider under paragraph (1)(B) and share such information with the veteran. (f) Covered provider defined In this section, the term covered provider means a health care provider specified in section 1703(c) of title 38, United States Code, that the Secretary determines has sufficient resources to submit the data required under subsection (a) at the time and in the manner required by the Secretary under such subsection.