Inventory and annual catchment area assessment of military-civilian health care partnerships

(a) Centralized inventory of military-civilian partnerships (1) In general The Secretary of Defense, acting through the Director of the Defense Health Agency, shall develop and maintain a centralized inventory of military–civilian health care partnerships throughout the Department of Defense. (2) Coordination In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director of the Defense Health Agency shall coordinate with the Secretary of each military department to ensure the inventory developed and maintained under such paragraph reflects partnerships established and maintained by the Defense Health Agency, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and the military departments. (3) Military department responsibilities (A) In general Each Secretary of a military department shall develop and maintain an inventory of military–civilian health care partnerships under the jurisdiction of such Secretary. (B) Inclusion in centralized inventory The inventories developed under subparagraph (A) shall be provided to the Director of the Defense Health Agency on a recurring basis, as determined by the Secretary of Defense, for inclusion in the centralized inventory under paragraph (1). (C) Use of inventories The inventories maintained by the military departments under this paragraph shall be used to inform and update the centralized inventory maintained by the Defense Health Agency under paragraph (1). (4) Elements The inventories required under this subsection shall include, at a minimum, the following: (A) The type and purpose of each military–civilian health care partnership. (B) Participating organizations, including civilian and other Federal partners. (C) Geographic location and supported beneficiary population. (D) Resources shared, including personnel, facilities, and funding. (E) Duration and terms of the partnerships. (F) Measures of performance and effectiveness of the partnerships. (b) Annual catchment area assessment (1) In general Not less frequently than annually, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Director of the Defense Health Agency, shall conduct a catchment area assessment of military–civilian health care partnerships and resource-sharing agreements of the Department of Defense. (2) Use of inventory The catchment area assessment conducted under paragraph (1) shall be informed by the centralized inventory developed under subsection (a), including inputs provided by the military departments. (3) Scope (A) In general Each catchment area assessment conducted under paragraph (1) shall focus on the catchment area of a military medical treatment facility and other related organizations. (B) Elements Each catchment area assessment conducted under paragraph (1) shall include the following: (i) An assessment of the extent to which existing military–civilian health care partnerships fulfill the intended objectives of such partnerships, including access to care, quality, cost-effectiveness, and medical readiness. (ii) An identification of gaps in care, redundancies, or underutilized resources. (iii) An evaluation of whether individual partnerships should be expanded, reduced, or maintained. (iv) An identification of opportunities to establish new partnerships or modify existing agreements. (v) Consideration of regional health care capacity, including civilian and Federal health care providers. (vi) An analysis of trends that may affect the performance or sustainability of military–civilian health care partnerships. (4) Metrics and benchmarks The Secretary of Defense shall establish standardized metrics and benchmarks to evaluate the performance and outcomes of military–civilian health care partnerships assessed under this subsection. (c) Briefing Not later than April 1, 2027, and annually thereafter for the following five years, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a briefing containing the results of the most recent catchment area assessment conducted under subsection (b), which shall include the following: (1) A summary of the centralized inventory developed and maintained under subsection (a). (2) Key findings regarding the effectiveness of military–civilian health care partnerships. (3) An identification of any resources that are required to ensure effective military–civilian health care partnerships. (4) Planned actions to expand, modify, or terminate military–civilian health care partnerships. (5) Any recommendations for legislative or administrative action to improve military–civilian health care collaboration. (d) Military–civilian health care partnership defined In this section, the term military–civilian health care partnership includes any agreement, contract, or arrangement between the Department of Defense and a non-Department entity for the provision, sharing, or coordination of health care services, personnel, training, or resources.