Veterans Affairs Medical-Surgical Purchasing Stabilization Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5418, as amended. The Veterans Affairs Medical-Surgical Purchasing Stabilization Act ties into what we were just discussing.

For many years, we have heard complaints that the VA formulary did not meet the needs of VA healthcare providers, thus making the delivery of healthcare to our Nation's heroes even more challenging.

As VA worked toward a solution, the Government Accountability Office recommended that clinicians who treat veterans should be at the center of the decision making.

Involving clinicians at every step of building a medical supply formulary is the same best practice employed by other private sector and nonprofit hospitals.

We have got wonderful physicians on this committee. It makes sense that they should be there. I have heard it time and time again over the years that we get better results when we do that.

That is why this committee was concerned when VA proposed that it would outsource the development of its medical-surgical supply formulary to vendors who had no experience treating patients. This proposal goes against best practices in the private and nonprofit healthcare industry.

This legislation would prevent VA from outsourcing formulary development. It would also ensure VA follows best practices and sticks to a timeline so that VA facilities and vendors have a predictable, functional medical supply.

Now VA must demonstrate it is willing to put the right leadership and resources in place to appropriately manage the project and ensure the actual end users of the formulary, the clinicians treating veterans, have the supplies as needed.

Mr. Speaker, again, another good piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. WALZ. Mr. Speaker, this is a good piece of legislation, I support its passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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