Veterans Affairs Medical Scribe Pilot Act of 2017
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Veterans Affairs Medical Scribe Pilot Act of 2017
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a two-year pilot program under which it shall increase the use of medical scribes at VA medical centers.
The bill defines "medical scribe" as an unlicensed individual hired to enter information into the electronic health record or chart at the direction of a physician or licensed independent practitioner whose responsibilities include:
assisting the physician or practitioner in navigating the electronic health record; and
responding to various messages and entering information into such record, as directed by the physician or practitioner.
The VA shall carry out the program at four VA medical centers located in rural areas, four located in urban areas, and two located in areas with need for increased access or increased efficiency.
The VA shall: (1) hire 20 new VA term employees as medical scribes and seek to enter into contracts for the employment of 20 additional scribes, (2) assign four scribes to each VA medical center where the program is conducted, (3) assign two scribes to each of two physicians, (4) employ 30% of the scribes in the provision of emergency care, and (5) employ 70% of the scribes in the provision of care in specialties with the longest patient wait times or lowest efficiency ratings.
(Sec. 3) The bill replaces a provision authorizing the VA to furnish tobacco to veterans receiving hospital or domiciliary care with provisions prohibiting any person from smoking: (1) indoors in any Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facility, (2) indoors in a VHA community living center on or after December 31, 2018, and (3) outdoors at any VHA facility on or after October 1, 2021.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on July 24, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 25, 2017: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
David Roe (R-TN) introduced it on April 3, 2017, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 3 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 3, 2017, 3447 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3334 days ago, on July 25, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers