((a)) ** .—** The Secretary shall ensure that Third Party Administrators and credentials verification organizations comply with the requirements specified in subsection (b) to help ensure certain health care providers are excluded from providing non-Department health care services.

((b)) ** .—** The Secretary shall require Third Party Administrators and credentials verification organizations to carry out the following:

((1)) Hold and maintain an active credential verification accreditation from a national health care accreditation body.

((2)) Conduct initial verification of provider history and license sanctions for all States and United States territories for a period of time—

((A)) that includes the period before the provider began providing non-Department health care services; and

((B)) dating back not less than 10 years.

((3)) Not less frequently than every three years, perform recredentialing, including verifying provider history and license sanctions for all States and United States territories.

((4)) Implement continuous monitoring of each provider through the National Practitioner Data Bank established pursuant to the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 ( et seq.).

((5)) Perform other forms of credentialing verification as the Secretary considers appropriate.

((c)) ** .—** In this section:

((1)) The term “credentials verification organization” means an entity that manages the provider credentialing process and performs credentialing verification for non-Department providers that participate in the Veterans Community Care Program under through a Veterans Care Agreement.

((2)) The term “Third Party Administrator” means an entity that manages a provider network and performs administrative services related to such network within the Veterans Community Care Program under .

((3)) The term “Veterans Care Agreement” means an agreement for non-Department health care services entered into under .

((4)) The term “non-Department health care services” means services—

((A)) provided under this subchapter at non-Department facilities (as defined in );

((B)) provided under section 101 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (; note);

((C)) purchased through the Medical Community Care account of the Department; or

((D)) purchased with amounts deposited in the Veterans Choice Fund under section 802 of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (; note).