Joint trauma system

727. Joint trauma system Chapter 55 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1073f the following new section: 1073g. Joint trauma system (a) Requirement The Secretary of Defense shall maintain the Joint Trauma System established pursuant to section 707 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 ( Public Law 114–328 ) as a permanent operational element of the Defense Health Agency to support the readiness of the armed forces with respect to providing combat casualty care in support of military operations. (b) Elements In addition to the requirements of section 707(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 ( Public Law 114–328 ), in carrying out the Joint Trauma System, the Secretary shall— (1) develop and maintain evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for combat casualty care across the continuum of care, from point of injury through definitive treatment; (2) establish standards for, and support the certification of, predeployment medical readiness for military surgeons; (3) maintain and integrate trauma registries and data systems of the Department of Defense to support performance improvement, research, and operational planning; (4) conduct system-wide performance improvement and lessons-learned analysis for combat casualty care, including dissemination of best practices across the armed forces; and (5) support the integration of military and civilian trauma systems to enhance readiness and improve trauma care outcomes during military operations. (c) Combatant command trauma systems (1) Each commander of a combatant command shall establish and maintain a Combatant Command Trauma System to support operational planning, exercises, and military operations across the continuum of combat casualty care, from point of injury through definitive care and rehabilitation. (2) The Secretaries of the military departments shall assign clinically active and operationally experienced trauma personnel, as required, to support the establishment, sustainment, and operation of each Combatant Command Trauma System in accordance with the requirements outlined in Department policy and implementation guidance with the developmental guidance, operational support, and clinical oversight of the Joint Trauma System. (3) Each Combatant Command Trauma System shall— (A) integrate trauma care data into the Department of Defense Trauma Registry; (B) implement clinical practice guidelines and performance improvement processes of the Joint Trauma System; (C) support theater-specific trauma training and readiness requirements; and (D) enable operational performance assessment and lessons learned across the continuum of combat casualty care. (d) Coordination In carrying out this section, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure coordination between the Director of the Defense Health Agency and the Surgeons General of the armed forces, the commanders of the combatant commands, and other elements of the military health system as required. (e) Annual briefing Not later than March 1 of each year, the Secretary of Defense shall provide a briefing to the congressional defense committees on the activities, readiness posture, and performance of the Joint Trauma System and the Combatant Command Trauma System, including— (1) a summary of Department-wide combat casualty care readiness across the Defense Trauma Enterprise, including findings derived from the performance improvement activities, clinical practice guideline implementation, trauma registry data, and other trauma system analyses of the Joint Trauma System supporting readiness oversight; (2) the status of establishment, staffing, and operational capability of each Combatant Command Trauma System, including personnel assigned by the Secretaries of the military departments to support such systems; (3) identified gaps in combat casualty care readiness affecting the Combatant Command Trauma System; (4) actions taken, planned, or resourced to address such gaps; and (5) such additional matters relating to the Joint Trauma System or Combatant Command Trauma System as the Secretary of Defense determines appropriate. (f) Definitions In this section: (1) The term combat casualty care means the provision of medical care to wounded members of the armed forces in operational environments, including prehospital care, damage-control resuscitation, and surgical intervention. (2) The term Joint Trauma System means the Department of Defense’s system for improving trauma care through data collection, analysis, performance improvement, and dissemination of best practices. .