For Release: Tuesday, January 13, 2009

COSTELLO AND SHIMKUS TO RE-INTRODUCE THE VETERANS’ HEALTH CARE QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACT

Washington - U.S. Congressmen Jerry Costello (D-IL) and John Shimkus (R-IL) announced today that they will introduce the Veterans’ Health Care Quality Improvement Act in the House of Representatives for consideration during the 111th Congress. The bill seeks to improve the hiring process for physicians and implement other quality controls at Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) medical facilities. The legislation was originally introduced in December 2007 amid investigation of surgery unit malpractice resulting in deaths at the Marion, Illinois VA Medical Center.

The bill mandates that doctors applying for VA positions disclose all previous medical malpractice allegations, disciplinary actions and payments. In addition, the VA would appoint a “National Quality Assurance Officer” to carry out the quality assurance program nationally, and such officers would be appointed regionally and at all VA medical facilities to monitor the provision of care. The legislation also makes loan repayment, tuition reimbursement and other incentives available to recruit doctors for hard to fill positions. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) will again introduce the bill in the Senate.

“Enacting these reforms is part of our ongoing effort to make sure what happened at Marion does not happen again,” said Costello. “Our veterans deserve quality health care and they and their families need to know they can get that care at the VA. At the same time, this bill supports the employees at the VA, the vast majority of who are truly dedicated to their jobs and our veterans. We must continue to work to restore faith in the VA system.”

“While the incidents from October 2006 to March 2007 at the Marion VA Medical Center were appalling, improvements are slowly being made. This legislation is a continuing effort to help local veterans receive the best health care possible," stated Shimkus.”

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