Arlington, VA – Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is praising the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) effort to track problems at medical facilities across the country through a “health care improvement center.” The new center will allow the VA to track problems at facilities in real time and dispatch assistance when issues are identified.
The center has only been active for a few months, but has already allowed the VA to address problems at several facilities. The center has helped the VA address staffing shortages in Orlando, FL, Shreveport, LA, and Little Rock, AR. It has also allowed the VA to address scheduling and productivity issues in Butler, PA and Richmond, VA.
CVA Executive Director Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“We are supportive of any effort that allows the VA to better monitor its facilities and ensure veterans are receiving the best possible care. VA hospitals across the country have been plagued with problems for years and we believe this new center represents a positive step in improving the quality of care the VA delivers.
“Although this is new center is an encouraging step, the only way to ensure veterans are consistently getting the care they deserve is by allowing them to use their VA health care benefits in the private sector. Veterans deserve the ability to get the care they earned, when and where they need it.”
CVA has supported previous efforts to modernize and improve the level of care the VA delivers. Earlier this year, CVA supported modernization bills from Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Ratcliffe (R-TX). The legislation they proposed was intended to create a Chief Information Officer position within the Veterans Health Administration to help streamline the upgrading, acquisition, and operation of IT systems in the department.
CVA also supported a move by VA Secretary David Shulkin and President Donald Trump to shift the department’s existing Electronic Health Record system to a commercial off-the-shelf product in order to modernize the VA’s approach to information technology.
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