Comptroller General study on Coast Guard efforts to reduce prevalence of missing or incomplete medical records and sharing of medical data with Department of Veterans Affairs and other entities

(a) Study Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall commence a study assessing the efforts of the Commandant— (1) to reduce the prevalence of missing or incomplete medical records; (2) to share medical data of members of the Coast Guard with the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (3) to ensure that electronic health records are provided in a format that is user friendly and easy to access. (b) Elements In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall review the following: (1) The steps the Commandant has taken to reduce the prevalence of missing or incomplete medical records of members of the Coast Guard. (2) How implementation of an electronic health record system has affected the ability of the Commandant to manage health records of members of the Coast Guard, including— (A) how the Commandant adds records from private medical providers to the electronic health record system; (B) the progress of the Commandant toward implementing the electronic health record system in shipboard sick bays of the Coast Guard; (C) how the Coast Guard shares medical records with the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (D) any other matter the Comptroller General considers appropriate with respect to medical record storage, use, and sharing and the associated consequences for member health and well-being. (3) The ability of members of the Coast Guard, medical professionals of the Coast Guard and of the Department of Defense, personnel of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other personnel to access and search, as appropriate, the electronic health records of individuals, including the ability to search or quickly find information within electronic health records. (c) Report Upon completion of the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall 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 containing the results of the study under subsection (a).

(a) Study Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall commence a study assessing the efforts of the Commandant— (1) to reduce the prevalence of missing or incomplete medical records; (2) to share medical data of members of the Coast Guard with the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (3) to ensure that electronic health records are provided in a format that is user friendly and easy to access. (b) Elements In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall review the following: (1) The steps the Commandant has taken to reduce the prevalence of missing or incomplete medical records of members of the Coast Guard. (2) How implementation of an electronic health record system has affected the ability of the Commandant to manage health records of members of the Coast Guard, including— (A) how the Commandant adds records from private medical providers to the electronic health record system; (B) the progress of the Commandant toward implementing the electronic health record system in shipboard sick bays of the Coast Guard; (C) how the Coast Guard shares medical records with the Department of Veterans Affairs; and (D) any other matter the Comptroller General considers appropriate with respect to medical record storage, use, and sharing and the associated consequences for member health and well-being. (3) The ability of members of the Coast Guard, medical professionals of the Coast Guard and of the Department of Defense, personnel of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other personnel to access and search, as appropriate, the electronic health records of individuals, including the ability to search or quickly find information within electronic health records. (c) Report Upon completion of the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall 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 containing the results of the study under subsection (a).