Paralyzed Veterans of America issued the following last week:
Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) is voicing its concerns over the report titled “Fixing Veterans Health Care”,
released Thursday, February 26, 2015, from Concerned Veterans for
America (CVA). While the report does support the continuance of
specialized care in the VA health care system
for service-connected veterans, Paralyzed Veterans has raised questions
about how those specialized services will be sustained once impacted by
diminished demand and reduced investment in the support services that
maintain them.
“Specialized services, like the spinal cord injury
system of care, are multidisciplinary and comprehensive, which means
they are inherently defined by their reliance on tertiary services. An
example would be a paralyzed veteran in rehabilitation who needs
intensive care or cardiac consultation. While private sector providers
are capable of treating chronic conditions that many catastrophically
injured veterans will incur over their lifetime, conventional practices
are not always appropriate for patients with unique and complex medical
needs,” said Homer Townsend Jr.,
executive director of Paralyzed Veterans. “The question of how we will
ensure that non-VA health care adequately delivers specialized care was
ignored in the lead-up to the passage of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act, and the same question remained unanswered in this report.”
The
veterans service organization also notes concerns with the report’s
statement that the number of VHA enrollees, while older in age, will
shrink.
“Assuming this is true, the report needed to acknowledge
that those fewer veterans will live longer and present increasingly
complex medical challenges,” stated Lana McKenzie, associate executive
director of medical services and health policy for Paralyzed Veterans and a registered nurse.
“We
also question the proposal to create a premium support system and fear
that it will negatively impact catastrophically disabled veterans
assigned to Priority Group 4,” said Townsend. “Even though these
veterans are not service connected, caring for them in VA has benefited
not only them but also society. These veterans achieve self-sufficiency
and stay healthier because the VA offers lifelong, multidisciplinary,
comprehensive care that has proven outcomes.”
Paralyzed Veterans
of America also joins experts in the private sector who point to the
limited experience in treatment of veterans with unique needs related to
post-traumatic stress disorder, prosthetics, conditions related to
toxic exposure in war zones, or traumatic brain injury. Some providers
have openly admitted the private sector is not prepared to provide
specialized services for a deluge of patients with complex conditions,
such as spinal cord injury and disease.
Richard Umbdenstock, CEO
of the American Hospital Association, recently told Congress the
private sector will need more time to understand the unique needs of
veterans before it can meet demand. Additionally, representatives of
major private care providers have voiced concerns to Congress about
reimbursement rates while repeatedly refusing to share with Congress
their anticipated profit from expanding private care for veterans.
“The
report presents several intriguing recommendations that should prompt
further discussion and perhaps even more debate. The problems with
privatizing VA care are not so obvious to those whose link to VA is
limited to receiving outpatient care, filling drug prescriptions and
getting flu shots every year,” Townsend said. “But it’s obvious to those
of us who have tried private sector alternatives and found them
incomparable to VA health care. Our choice is VA, and we want to ensure
that it remains a viable choice.”
Learn more about Paralyzed Veterans of America
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