Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 124.djvu/1184

 124 STAT. 1158 PUBLIC LAW 111–163—MAY 5, 2010 ‘‘(ii) In this subparagraph, the term ‘representative’ means an individual, organization, or other body authorized under section 7331 of this title and its implementing regulations to give informed consent on behalf of a patient who lacks decision-making capacity.’’. SEC. 505. ENHANCEMENT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT. (a) ENHANCEMENT OF QUALITY MANAGEMENT THROUGH QUALITY MANAGEMENT OFFICERS.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 73 is amended by inserting after section 7311 the following new section: ‘‘§ 7311A. Quality management officers ‘‘(a) NATIONAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT OFFICER.—(1) The Under Secretary for Health shall designate an official of the Veterans Health Administration to act as the principal quality management officer for the quality-assurance program required by section 7311 of this title. The official so designated may be known as the ‘National Quality Management Officer of the Veterans Health Administration’ (in this section referred to as the ‘National Quality Management Officer’). ‘‘(2) The National Quality Management Officer shall report directly to the Under Secretary for Health in the discharge of responsibilities and duties of the Officer under this section. ‘‘(3) The National Quality Management Officer shall be the official within the Veterans Health Administration who is prin- cipally responsible for the quality-assurance program referred to in paragraph (1). In carrying out that responsibility, the Officer shall be responsible for the following: ‘‘(A) Establishing and enforcing the requirements of the program referred to in paragraph (1). ‘‘(B) Developing an aggregate quality metric from existing data sources, such as the Inpatient Evaluation Center of the Department, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Pro- gram, and the External Peer Review Program of the Veterans Health Administration, that could be used to assess reliably the quality of care provided at individual Department medical centers and associated community based outpatient clinics. ‘‘(C) Ensuring that existing measures of quality, including measures from the Inpatient Evaluation Center, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, System-Wide Ongoing Assessment and Review reports of the Department, and Com- bined Assessment Program reviews of the Office of Inspector General of the Department, are monitored routinely and ana- lyzed in a manner that ensures the timely detection of quality of care issues. ‘‘(D) Encouraging research and development in the area of quality metrics for the purposes of improving how the Depart- ment measures quality in individual facilities. ‘‘(E) Carrying out such other responsibilities and duties relating to quality management in the Veterans Health Administration as the Under Secretary for Health shall specify. ‘‘(4) The requirements under paragraph (3) shall include requirements regarding the following: ‘‘(A) A confidential system for the submittal of reports by Veterans Health Administration personnel regarding quality management at Department facilities. Designation.