§1729B — Title 38 Veterans' Benefits | U.S. Code

Summary

Within five years of the law taking effect, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs must set up no more than seven regional consolidated patient accounting centers to run billing and collection activities modeled on private industry. Those centers must redesign and combine all VA billing and payment processes, standardize and coordinate billing for veterans’ non‑service‑connected health care, use commercial standards to measure access, speed, and performance to boost revenue, and carry out any other revenue‑cycle improvements the Secretary requires.

Title 38, §1729B

Veterans' Benefits — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Not later than five years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall establish not more than seven consolidated patient accounting centers for conducting industry-modeled regionalized billing and collection activities of the Department.

(b)The centers shall carry out the following functions:

(1)Reengineer and integrate all business processes of the revenue cycle of the Department.

(2)Standardize and coordinate all activities of the Department related to the revenue cycle for all health care services furnished to veterans for non-service-connected medical conditions.

(3)Apply commercial industry standards for measures of access, timeliness, and performance metrics with respect to revenue enhancement of the Department.

(4)Apply other requirements with respect to such revenue cycle improvement as the Secretary may specify.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (a), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–387, which was approved Oct. 10, 2008.

Prior Provisions

A prior section 1729B, added Pub. L. 106–117, title II, § 202(a), Nov. 30, 1999, 113 Stat. 1561; amended Pub. L. 107–103, title V, § 509(c), Dec. 27, 2001, 115 Stat. 997; Pub. L. 107–330, title III, § 308(g)(7), Dec. 6, 2002, 116 Stat. 2829, related to the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Improvement Fund, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 108–7, div. K, title I, § 113(a)(1), Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 482.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Transfer of Balance Pub. L. 108–7, div. K, title I, § 113(a)(1), Feb. 20, 2003, 117 Stat. 482, repealed former section 1729B of this title and provided that any balance as of Feb. 20, 2003, in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Improvement Fund established under former section 1729B was to be transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Care Collections Fund established under section 1729A of this title.

§1729B Consolidated Patient Accounting Centers