U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) want the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a nationwide review of its medical providers and report back to Congress.
Spurred by recent national media reports that the VA has employed sanctioned health care providers, as well as those who have received criminal charges, Cassidy, Moran and Hatch were among a group of more than a dozen bipartisan U.S. senators who requested the VA’s review in a Dec. 8 letter to VA Secretary David Shulkin.
“We write to express our serious concerns … that the Department of Veterans Affairs offers employment to medical practitioners with a known history of licensure revocation by a state medical licensing board,” the senators wrote.
Federal law bars the VA from hiring a provider whose license was revoked by a state board, regardless of whether they have an active license granted by another state.
The senators specifically have requested information on the department’s provider hiring practices and have asked that the VA “identify all providers by state and specialty, who were known to have had adverse actions taken against their clinical privileges, to include the revocation of state medical licensure, and were subsequently hired by the Department,” according to their letter, which was spearheaded by Republican Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas.
The VA has been pinched by provider shortages across a variety of medical specialties just like the private sector health care industry, the lawmakers noted in their letter.
“As such, we request information about the VA’s oversight of provider hiring guidelines to ensure that the pressure to fill shortages has not led to insufficient health care quality controls,” they wrote, adding that such provider shortages are “even more pronounced” for veterans living in rural areas.
Additionally, the senators want the VA to give a timeline for completing their requested review and they also asked for the department to report on the employment status of identified providers, as well as what additional oversight measures would be needed for identified providers who are still employed by and practicing in the VA.
Further, the senators asked Secretary Shulkin several questions related to the employment of VA providers with revoked licenses, including the approval level for employment offers, the nature of any reporting requirements, and whether the agency requires probationary periods or mandatory consultation before providers are authorized to directly treat patients.
Earlier this month, USA Today reported that the VA knowingly hired practitioners who have faced prior malpractice claims and state disciplinary action. For instance, one such provider had been sanctioned by his state for care that caused maiming, paralysis and death among some of his patients.