S3809-118

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Electronic Medical Records for Foreign Service Personnel Act of 2024.

2. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— Foreign Service personnel at the Department of State often serve with distinction in austere places and under challenging conditions around the world with limited healthcare availability; the Department’s exclusive use of paper medical records, which require Foreign Service personnel to carry their protected health information from post to post, puts our diplomats in danger by limiting the availability of their health information to Department medical personnel during critical health incidents; electronic medical records are necessary, particularly as the Department opens new embassies in the South Pacific, thousands of miles from the nearest Department medical officer, who may not have access to up-to-date personnel medical files; the lack of electronic medical records is even more important for mental health records, as the Department only has a small number of regional medical officer psychiatrists and relies heavily on telehealth for most Foreign Service personnel; and due to the critical need for electronic medical records, it is imperative that the Department address the situation quickly and focus on commercially available solutions from contractors who have a track record of successfully implementing large-scale projects of this type.

3. Electronic medical records requirement Not later than December 31, 2027, the Secretary of State shall have fully implemented an electronic medical records system for all Foreign Service personnel that eliminates reliance on paper medical records and includes appropriate safeguards to protect personal privacy.

4. Report on implementation Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the progress made towards meeting the requirement under section 3. The report required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements: An updated timeline for implementation. An estimated completion date. The amounts expended to date on the required electronic medical records system. The estimated amount needed to complete the system. The reporting requirement under subsection (a) shall cease upon notification to the appropriate congressional committees that electronic medical records have been completely implemented for all Foreign Service personnel. In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.