WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the nation’s largest integrated health care system, a model of health care delivery, was attacked last night by ABC’s Primetime Thursday, which challenged the quality of VA care and lapses in professional standards.
“Last night’s program did a disservice to veterans across America. Far from exposing problems, the program’s apparent purpose was to alarm people who deserve a more thoughtful and thorough analysis of the nation’s veterans health care system,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.
“I am disappointed that Primetime Thursday took hidden cameras into a few of our facilities, then withheld the videotape from us for five months. That is simply unconscionable,” said Principi.
“If they were truly interested in the care veterans receive, they should have shared that information immediately. When we learn of a problem in our system, we take corrective action right away,” Principi said. The day after learning of problems at certain facilities, VA immediately dispatched inspection teams. Corrective actions taken by VA were cited by Primetime.
VA encourages feedback about the quality of its health care programs from all sources. Hotlines, patient advocates and partnerships with veteran service organizations allow veterans, families and employees to anonymously report any concerns they have. Contrary to comments made during the report, veterans cannot lose benefits by voicing concerns about their care.
Veterans, family members and employees may contact the Inspector Generals office and the VA Consumer Affairs office with their concerns at the following numbers:
Confident that the program’s narrow focus, featuring a few of VA’s 162 hospitals, does not represent the system as a whole, Principi opened the doors to VA facilities nationwide today, inviting media to see for themselves the high quality care that Primetime clearly missed.
“We welcome media and public interest in veterans care,” Principi said. “Veterans care and benefits absolutely deserve a prominent place in public debate.”
VA has received praise from several independent organizations that measure quality in the delivery of health care as well as a national patient satisfaction survey. Much of that quality is a direct result of the passion shared by 200,000 great men and women for our mission of providing health care to this nation’s veterans.
“With the biggest budget increases in our history, we cared for more than 800,000 veterans last year than in 2001,” said Principi.
“Veterans are coming to us in record numbers, including those who have other options for health care,” Principi said. “We had more than 50 million outpatient visits last year. This is a clear indication that VA is providing veterans with the quality health care they want.”
“While I expect all employees to uphold the highest standards when caring for veterans, ultimately this is a leadership issue. I accept that,” Principi said. “And I fully expect VA employees in leadership positions across the nation to stand up to that.”
