VA Secretary Shulkin gives honest, frank press briefing

VA Secretary Shulkin gives honest, frank press briefing

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin talked to the press frankly about problems he faces.

Shulkin broke down the problems facing the Veterans Affairs department into 13 critical areas and spoke briefly about each one, identifying key junctures where actions were needed, areas where progress had been made, and places where the system still fell short.

He broke down the main problem, access, and explained by percentages who got to see a doctor, how long it took, why there were delays, and what had been done. He talked about community care—sending doctors to non-VA facilities—and the problems that program faced. He asked Congress to seriously address the matter when the current law expires later this year.

He also addressed quality of care.

“Veterans shouldn’t have to accept low-quality care and they deserve our very best,” he said matter-of-factly. “I think everybody agrees with that.”

Shulkin identified which facilities were worst—a stunning admission within Washington circles.

Shulkin then addressed IT: information technology. he pointed out that currently three-quarters of the IT budget went to maintaining the system, which was full of aging and outmoded hardware and software, which couldn’t communicate with any modern systems.

IT was one area, he said, where money was a limiting factor. The entire system, hardware and software, needed to be replaced.

Another place where money was a factor, he said, was salaries. The VA couldn’t hope to attract qualified medical personnel if they paid vastly less than the private sector.

All in all, Shulkin did not announce new programs or even identify new problems.

What he did was to identify problems honestly.

He was straightforward about what was being done and what wasn’t working.

If nothing else, he showed that he is an able administrator.

This press briefing showed that he seems to be the right man for the job.

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