Editorial: Fighting for veterans’ health care

Tuesday, July 27, 1999 | 9:54 a.m.

A March audit sparked by patient complaints of Veterans Administration health care facilities in Clark County produced desirable results. To the credit of local VA medical director Ramon Reevey and his staff, some procedures were changed and additional medical personnel were hired. Patients no longer have to wait as long to be treated.

But as Reevey told Sun reporter Kim Smith, the shortage of medical staff is a recurrent "Las Vegas problem" that extends not only to the VA but to local community hospitals. If true, this poses a dilemma that must be addressed on at least two fronts.

Congress, for one, would be wise to examine ways to better ensure that VA facilities are properly staffed. Lawmakers have already begun discussing how to better retain military personnel. This comes in the wake of reports that an increasing number of pilots and technicians have opted for the private sector, where they can make more money. We think Congress should have a similar discussion about VA personnel.

It is true, as Reevey said, that the VA must adhere to federal pay schedules. Doctors often can make more money by opening private practices. With that in mind a good place to start would be to revisit the salaries paid to VA medical staffers.

Lawmakers may also want to sweeten the pot by creating other incentives to work for the VA. Perhaps this could include scholarships for medical students or added vacation days.

If Las Vegas area hospitals are experiencing a shortage of medical personnel, that also needs to be addressed by local physicians and health care administrators. The local population explosion is bound to put a strain on the health care system, and now is as good a time as any to develop a long-term medical strategy that goes hand in hand with our growth.

The local VA has already shown that an increase in medical personnel can lead to dramatic reductions in the time patients must wait for treatment. Patients used to have to wait an average of 146 days to visit the VA's neurology department, a time frame that was reduced to 17 days in May. Waiting periods also were reduced from 257 days to 63 days for gastroenterology appointments and declined from 90 days to 14 days for cardiology visits.

In order to ensure that waiting periods for treatment continue to improve, Congress owes it to veterans to make sure that VA facilities are always properly staffed.