Rep. Chet Edwards Holds a Hearing On Medical Transition - Defense to Veterans Affairs

Political Transcript Wire › September 08, 2009

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Rep. Chet Edwards Holds a Hearing On Medical Transition - Defense to Veterans Affairs

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES HOLDS A HEARING ON MEDICAL TRANSITION - DEFENSE TO VETERANS AFFAIRS

MARCH 25, 2009

SPEAKERS: REP. CHET EDWARDS, D-TEXAS CHAIRMAN REP. SAM FARR, D-CALIF. REP. JOHN SALAZAR, D-COLO. REP. NORM DICKS, D-WASH. REP. PATRICK J. KENNEDY, D-R.I. REP. SANFORD D. BISHOP JR., D-GA. REP. STEVE ISRAEL, D-N.Y. REP. MARION BERRY, D-ARK. REP. DAVID R. OBEY, D-WIS. EX OFFICIO

REP. ZACH WAMP, R-TENN. RANKING MEMBER REP. ANDER CRENSHAW, R-FLA. REP. C.W. BILL YOUNG, R-FLA. REP. JOHN CARTER, R-TEXAS REP. JERRY LEWIS, R-CALIF. EX OFFICIO

WITNESSES: MICHAEL KUSSMAN, VETERANS AFFAIRS UNDERSECRETARY FOR HEALTH

WARD CASSCELLS, ASSISTANT DEFENSE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AFFAIRS

[*] FARR: This meeting will come to order.

Chairman Chet Edwards is in the Budget Committee, wrapping it up, and has asked me, as vice chair, to chair this afternoon's committee.

As you know, this hearing is on the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans' Affairs medical transition. The purpose of this hearing is to review the progress that these departments have made in ensuring a seamless transition for our veterans and to identify and to discuss what still needs to be done.

Witnesses from GAO and the VA inspector general, at one of our early hearings, the review of the VA challenges, acknowledged that the departments have moved forward in their development of electronic medical interoperability, but they also indicated that the process would be improved by identifying results-oriented performance goal.

This is only one example of the many issues that must be addressed if we are to ensure that no veteran falls through the cracks and is left to navigate that system alone. And I know a lot of members have been asking those questions all year.

Our witnesses for this hearing will be Dr. Michael Kussman, who is the undersecretary of health for the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and Dr. Ward Casscells, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

As the senior physicians and essentially the CEOs of the veterans systems and military health systems, they are responsible for not only ensuring that their systems meet the medical needs of their patients, but that patients can move between these systems in order to provide those who have served this nation with the very best in care.

I'd like to welcome both of our witnesses to this hearing and look forward to your testimony and discussion.

Before we hear from Dr. Kussman, I would like to recognize my colleague from Tennessee, Mr. Wamp, for any opening remarks he might have.

WAMP: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Dr. Kussman and Dr. Casscells, you are at the forefront of a very important issue; that is, the improving status of our VA health care delivery system at a critical time in history, where our veterans have problems that we haven't encountered in other words, and, certainly, the asymmetrical nature of this wars and constant rotation of our veterans.

They come back with afflictions, and we are very keen on this, but, also, the overall bureaucracy of the VA is a beast that has to be tamed.

I know we're on the road to recovery. And I appreciate Dr. Kussman from last year and Dr. Casscells coming this year, and the secretary calling me and reiterating his commitment, the new secretary, to trying to improve the efficiencies at the VA, because it's an absolutely essential agency.

But the bureaucracy is still, in my opinion, an impediment to the delivery system being as efficient and as effective as it can be.

So I look forward to your testimony today and a lot of give-and- take, and then, frankly, the follow-up through the years we write the bill so that, by statute, we can assist you in any and every way to deliver the health care as effectively as possible.

And I'm grateful that you're both physicians and that you're on the job and you're prepared to address this need. I thin...

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