Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 110 Part 5.djvu/117

 PUBLIC LAW 104-262—OCT. 9, 1996 110 STAT. 3191 TITLE III—HEALTH CARE AND ADMINISTRATION Subtitle A—Health Care Sharing and Administration SEC. 301. REVISION OF AUTHORITY TO SHARE MEDICAL FAdLITIES, EQUIPMENT, AND INFORMATION. (a) STATEMENT OF PURPOSE. —The text of section 8151 is amended to read as follows: "It is the purpose of this subchapter to strengthen the medical programs at Department facilities and improve the quality of health care provided veterans under this title by authorizing the Secretary to enter into agreements with health-care providers in order to share health-care resources with, and receive health-care resources from, such providers while ensuring no diminution of services to veterans. ". (b) DEFINITIONS. —Section 8152 is amended— (1) by striking out paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) and inserting in lieu thereof the following new paragraphs (1) and (2): "(1) The term 'health-care resource' includes hospital care and medical services (as those terms are defined in section 1701 of this title), any other health-care service, and any healthcare support or administrative resource. "(2) The term *health-care providers' includes health-care plans and insurers and any organizations, institutions, or other entities or individuals who furnish health-care resources."; and (2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (3). (c) AUTHORITY TO SECURE HEALTH-CARE RESOURCES. — Section 8153 is amended as follows: (1) Subsection (a) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) by striking out "certain specialized medical resources" and inserting in lieu thereof "health-care resources"; (ii) by striking out "other medical resources" and inserting in lieu thereof "other health-care resources"; and (iii) by striking out "of—" and all that follows through "section 1742(a) of this title" and inserting in lieu thereof "of health-care resources between Department health-care facilities and any health-care provider, or other entity or individual"; (B) in paragraph (2), by striking out "only" and all that follows through "are not" and inserting in lieu thereof "if such resources are not, or would not be,"; and (C) by adding at the end the following: "(3)(A) If the health-care resource required is a commercial service, the use of medical equipment or space, or research, and is to be acquired from an institution affiliated with the Department in accordance with section 7302 of this title, including medical practice groups and other entities associated with affiliated institutions, blood bginks, organ banks, or research centers, the Secretary may make arrangements for acquisition of the resource without

�