Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Oregon VA Clinic Director Accused Of Trying To Game Ratings System Being Replaced
The New York Times: Director Of Veterans Hospital Accused Of Manipulating Ratings Is Replaced
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced on Thursday it would replace the director of its medical center in Roseburg, Ore., Douglas Paxton. He had come under fire in recent weeks for limiting the number of patients the center admitted in an effort to improve its dismal performance rating, according to doctors at the hospital. “There are times that facility leadership needs to change in order to usher in a new approach that will demonstrate we are committed to delivering results for veterans,” Dr. Carolyn Clancy, executive in charge of the Veterans Health Administration, said in a statement. (Philipps, 2/1)
The Washington Post: Wisconsin Expected To Set Up ‘Green Alerts’ For Missing At-Risk Veterans
Wisconsin is expected to become the first state to set up a “Green Alert” system to help families and law enforcement officials locate missing at-risk veterans. Advocates say they hope other states soon adopt Green Alerts, which are similar to the Amber and Silver alerts for missing children and older adults. The legislation unanimously passed the Wisconsin state Senate and is likely to pass the state Assembly in February, as first reported by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 2/1)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Death Of Milwaukee Air Force Veteran With PTSD Inspires 'Green Alert' Movement
Gwen Adams called the next day and was told the officer who took their missing person's report was off for two days and they would have to wait until she returned. They did. They told police their son suffered from PTSD, they told police the medications he was taking and that he had missed an appointment at the VA. But because he was an adult, the family was told he didn't meet the criteria for a critical missing person. (Jones, 1/30)
And in other news —
Nashville Tennessean: Veterans Suddenly Die After Leaving Murfreesboro VA Hospital
The veterans' families — and others who have spent time at the Murfreesboro VA hospital — paint a bleak picture about how some are treated, leveling accusations that patients are force-fed medications, treated like jail inmates and given dozens of prescriptions when discharged. ... The surviving family members say their loved ones were not the same when they left treatment, overly medicated and with the underlying conditions they developed serving the country in combat the same or worse. In multiple cases reviewed by the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee, they relapsed and were found dead within days or weeks after their release, each by self-inflicted means. (Lowary, 2/2)
