Illinois lawmakers, fed up with what they called unacceptable standards and treatment of veterans at VA Medical Center in Marion, will meet with the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs this morning.

Secretary Eric Shinseki agreed to the meeting after receiving a letter from U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Roland Burris and Reps. Jerry Costello and John Shimkus.

The letter blasted as "appalling" the findings of a report released Monday that found continuing prob-lems at the facility that saw nine deaths in 2007 reportedly caused by surgical malfeasance resulting from poor leadership and communication.

The report released by the Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of the Inspector General cited problems with patient safety and quality care management.

According to the report, the center had continued problems with mortality assessment, a patient safety program, outdated staff training, patient data analysis and peer review.

"Yesterday, I was shocked to learn that a new inspector general's investigation of VA Medical Center in Marion found that problems identified two years ago have not been addressed," Durbin said during an address on the Senate floor Tuesday.

"Despite this national scandal and the concern we all had about the treatment of veterans, many of the issues that led to the deaths of these innocent veterans have still gone unheeded. In two years' time, the medical center responsible for treating veterans living in Southern Illinois has not been able to meet the required standards of facility and patient safety. These continued failures are inexcusable."

Progress?

James Floyd, VA regional network director, said eight of the 10 findings in the report have been remedied and anticipates fixing the other two within the next two weeks.

Much progress has been made toward improving services at the facility, as evidenced by increased positive responses to patient and employee satisfaction surveys, he said.

Steps are being taken to provide long-term and consistent leadership, an area that has caused some difficulty in the past, he said.

Officials would like to work with Congress to provide financial incentives to healthcare executives who take jobs in less urban areas as well as perhaps forming a task force to look at hiring issues and bar-riers.

Director leaving

James Roseborough, a retired VA employee, will soon be in place to oversee the Marion facility's operations, Floyd said, and will work with current director Warren Hill to ensure a smooth transition.

Hill has accepted a job in Wisconsin.

A search for a permanent director will take place during Roseborough's one-year tenure and a chief of surgery was hired last April whose responsibilities include recruitment of other surgeons.

As soon as a team of surgeons and support staff is in place to provide round-the-clock surgical care, the facility will ask for a surgical services review.

In the meantime, lawmakers hope to get answers and an immediate plan of action from the VA secre-tary.

Legislation

Durbin said he wants to revisit legislation he previously introduced that would create a network of health quality assurance officers.

"The idea is that we need one designated person at each VA facility to pay attention to quality and patient safety issues. Again this year, as in the previous Congress, the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee has reported the bill. They know this is a bipartisan bill, and they support it on a bipartisan basis," he said.

The legislation is part of the Caregiver and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2009.

"This bill should be removed from the calendar, brought to the floor, and passed immediately. And I hope it will pass in an overwhelming fashion with bipartisan support," he said.

Shimkus said the Congressional delegation won't rest until veterans deserve the care they deserve at Marion.

"My office has continued to look into complaints from patients and employees who have been un-happy with the lack of progress at Marion," Shimkus said. "Unfortunately, this report only reinforces what we have been hearing."

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