Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Quietly Pulls Plug On Sharing Quality-Control Stats With National Database
The Department of Veterans Affairs over the summer quietly stopped sharing data on the quality of care at its facilities with a national database for consumers, despite a 2014 law requiring the agency to report more comprehensive statistics to the site so veterans can make informed decisions about where to seek care. For years, the VA provided data on a number of criteria to the Hospital Compare web site run by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the Department of Health and Human Services. The site includes death and readmission rates and other measures of quality for public and private hospitals around the country, as well as national averages. (Slack, 9/12)
In other veterans' health care news —
The VA is developing a program called Reach Vet, which will identify veterans who may be at an increased risk of suicide based on any mental health diagnoses and other information that might suggest a mental health need, such as seeking treatment for insomnia, said Stephanie Davis, suicide prevention coordinator for VA Health of Eastern Kansas. People who receive psychiatric care early tend to have better health outcomes, she said. (Hart, 9/12)
A spokesman for the troubled Tomah VA Medical Center said Monday that officials will provide a briefing for Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson's staff within the next 24 hours as the senator presses for answers about an apparent suicide of a U.S. Army veteran. Brian Rossell, 29, of Wausau, went missing Sunday and his body was discovered Thursday in Lake Wausau. Rossell's mother had told local media in Wausau that her son sought help from the Tomah VA during the summer and was turned away. (Glauber, 9/12)
A clinical simulation center is opening on the campus of the Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center this week, featuring an ambulance bay, two operating rooms, three intensive care units and a "patient" that responds to anesthesia like a real human. There are other simulation centers in VA medical centers, but SimLEARN is the largest simulation facility across the VA and one of the 10 largest simulation centers in the United States, officials said. (Miller, 9/12)
