Senate Republicans tout benefits of VA Provider Accountability Act

U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Susan Collins (R-ME) on Feb. 14 pointed to their bipartisan bill as being critical for holding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) more accountable for the mistakes that certain providers might make.

“The vast majority of VA employees and medical providers offer exceptional care to our veterans, and we are grateful for their service,” Sen. Gardner said. “However, there is no excuse for allowing certain medical providers with a history of committing major medical errors to continue putting other patients at risk.”

The VA Provider Accountability Act, S. 221, sponsored on Jan. 24 by Sen. Gardner, who was joined by original cosponsors Sens. Moran, Collins, Cassidy and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), would amend title 38 of the United States Code to require the under secretary of health to report major adverse personnel actions involving certain health care employees to the National Practitioner Data Bank, as well as to applicable state licensing boards, among other purposes, according to text of the bill.

“It is critical that those on the front lines of caring for our veterans are held to the highest level of accountability,” said Sen. Moran. “For too long, mistakes made by VA providers have been concealed by the VA and not reported to the appropriate state and federal databases.”

S. 221 also would prevent the VA from signing settlements with fired employees to hide major medical mistakes in their personnel files, according to the GOP lawmakers, who cited a 2017 Government Accountability Office report that they said showed an unacceptable trend of VA facilities that failed to report such errors by VA providers.

“While I appreciate the efforts that the VA has made to correct this on their own, they are not enough,” said Sen. Manchin. “Strict guidelines must be implemented to assure our Veterans they are receiving the highest quality of care, and I believe our legislation provides a fix that can be supported by my colleagues on both sides of the aisle.”

Sen. Cassidy, a medical doctor, said he believes that the patient always comes first. “When VA providers make mistakes, transparency and accountability protects veterans best,” he said. “Covering up mistakes does not protect patients. This bill makes it more likely veterans get good care.”

Sen. Collins also said that if enacted, S. 221 would require the VA to report on such issues promptly to “help restore accountability, protect veterans, and enhance the care that veterans receive at the VA.”

S. 221 is supported by the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Federation of State Medical Boards, according to the lawmakers’ joint statement.

S. 221 is under consideration by the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.