(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will protect veterans and address issues identified by federal watchdogs after an inspector general report raised concerns about doctors employed by the VA. I promised to do it.
Press Secretary Terrence Hayes responded to inquiries from Center Square regarding the recent IG report. The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Branch paid doctors to treat veterans even after they were disbarred for safety reasons, according to the report.
“At VA, our mission is to ensure that veterans receive the world-class care they deserve from caring, qualified professionals, and we will never settle for anything less.” Hayes told Center Square. “Inspector General reviews like this one help make VA health care better, and we have already taken action to address the OIG’s recommendations.”
Formerly the center plaza reportSen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, raised questions about the treatment of veterans to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.
His letter pointed out that VA’s internal policies do not prevent providers from paying for a veteran’s treatment even after they violate federal policy.
Hayes said the agency would respond directly to Rubio’s letter and said it was strengthening its vetting process for health care providers as a result of the IG report’s findings.
“We are thoroughly reviewing our standards and processes to ensure that all ineligible providers are identified and removed from participation in VA’s Community Care Program,” Hayes said. . “And we are establishing appropriate review processes for the Veterans Health Administration to ensure past provider terminations were due to patient safety concerns.”
Rubio called for accountability from the Veterans Administration, citing examples of doctors who should not have treated veterans.
“While this issue needs to be addressed nationally, one specific example that the VA OIG has considered in recent months is a patient who had his medical license revoked in Florida but later joined the VCCP as a medical practitioner. “The incident stemmed from an incident involving a retired surgeon,” the letter said. “The OIG found that the surgeon voluntarily surrendered his Florida medical license after being investigated by the Florida Department of Health and notified of “possible termination for cause.” Optum is unclear as to whether such instances should be considered as part of the VCCP certification process, stating that the VA’s contract does not mention or define this term.
Hayes also pledged to address third-party health care providers who are unqualified to care for veterans.
“Additionally, we will ensure that appropriate corrective actions are established for providers identified as ineligible, including collaboration with third-party administrators, and that these ineligible providers are We will make sure that it is removed from the network,” Hayes told the Center. square. “We will not rest until this issue is fully resolved for the veterans we serve.”
