VA may close more than 1,100 facilities to privatize more medical care

[RV_]

excerpt:

"VA may close more than 1,100 facilities to privatize more medical care"

The Department of Veterans Affairs may close as many as 1,165 facilities nationwide as part of plans to move more medical care to the private sector.

The facilities include 430 vacant buildings and 735 that are underutilized, according to Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin during a hearing before the House Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Wednesday. These facilities cost the government $25 million a year, the Associated Press reported.

Shulkin said he plans to work with Congress to prioritize which buildings to close.

During his confirmation hearing in February, Shulkin told a Senate committee the “Department of Veterans Affairs will not be privatized under my watch,” but indicated he was willing to expand private-care partnerships with VA hospitals in order to avoid building costly new medical centers.

The move to privatize care began in 2014 when news broke that VA facilities across the country used secret lists to cover up long wait times for care. In response, Congress took action to allow veterans who faced long wait time for care or had to travel a long distance to receive care at a VA facility to seek private care."

Read the rest with related links here:

http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/va-may-close-more-than-1-100-facilities-to-privatize-more-medical-care

 

[remoandiris]

Works for me.

[Ray,IN]

I support this move, and hope it includes eliminating those administrators and supervisors known to be poor at their job, such as the ones already in the news.