Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) requested on Tuesday that Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki detail efforts to increase transparency after recent reports of falsified records at VA facilities.
Portman raised concerns that the “size and scope” of issues with VA record keeping may be more significant than previously thought, and he called for transparency to help improve care at VA facilities in a letter to Shinseki.
“As you continue to assess and make changes to improve your medical scheduling process, I ask that you review the feasibility of increasing the transparency of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) scheduling and wait time measures,” Portman said. “While some data on appointment scheduling is included in the annual VA Performance and Accountability Report, it is entirely insufficient in providing the regularity and fidelity of reporting to be informative.”
A recent VA investigation found that medical records at numerous facilities were misrepresented or falsified to make it appear as though patients were treated within 14 days, which is the VA’s goal. At least 40 veterans allegedly died while awaiting treatment at a facility in Arizona, which had implemented a “secret waiting list” to conceal actual wait times for treatment, according to reports.
Portman questioned whether Shinseki had evaluated the feasibility of making wait list data for individual Veteran Integrated Service Networks, medical centers and clinics accessible on the VHA website.
“If recent allegations are found to be substantiated, it is clear that significant work remains on these recommendations,” Portman said.