Minutes. I am your moderator and a host. I want to thank our hosts, minnesotas aarp and credit unions, for making these possible. Minnesota agora, thank you very much. There is a lot of work that goes into organizing these forums, and i think this has become a minnesota tradition. We had a coin toss. Governor walz won. He chose to go second. Kent will be the timekeeper. First opening question, youve talked about a vision of healing minnesota. Can you give a more specific vision of what that means right now and how you would heal minnesota in the next four years . When i see patients in the office, we cant begin the possibility of healing until weve asked the right questions. If somebody said, ive got chest pain, i to be a fool to say, this is what we are going to do. We are here today together. We are asking the questions and saying, what matters to you . Through the process of asking those questions and having conversations, learning, listening, that is the way we are going to heal mi
Objectives of the meetings have indeed caused kaiser to think ahead of the process and thats part of the review we did last year and after the fact discussions about renewal rates and what have you. As we ignored there is room and time not a lot for additional thinking around this so to the degree that members of the plan and i mean all the members of the plan have an opportunity to raise questions to the commissioners directly you should be doing so. I said this last month and i want to reiterate we cant wait until next spring to discover oh, its all over. So i hope that members will euville them both active and retired to come and speak up at this phase of the process any other xhishthsz comments . This the item you id like to hear Public Comment from the members. This is particle a part of the resolution he we would like to get input from the unions and retiree and all members good afternoon Larry Bradshaw. On behalf of the labor we want to welcome this opportunity for those monthly
Thousand because it wasnt codified. Can you get a opinion from kaiser on that. Thank you commissioner frazer. So the issue of hospitalization and observation thats a medicare issue so if you ask kaiser to do it you should ask every other medicare plan to do it you may be convincing the two. Any other Public Comment. Oh, please come forward im here on behavior. Cant hear you. Is that better . Thank you. Hello, im here on behalf of the local 21 were. I still cant hear you, you have to speak a little bit closer. Okay. Were here to say we appreciate the board supporting this particle as particularly harassing as it relates to kaiser. And representing pr b i have a written statement to read but before that with the statements of richard brought that actually providers are doing to screw with the medicare payments their probable for their own payments and its a question to be asked of the providers and not medicare. Medicare is falling the payment and its being screwed with so medicare is no
Well to insure the veterans needs are met, that that nonva provider is respectfully working with a veteran, her or his family, to get into care. Thank you. The gao also reports that there is a consistent problem across vha with policy and procedures for handling noshows and cancelled appointments. Im aware that va, that you are working on an update to this scheduling policy. When do you anticipate this revision, revised po ills to be released and well address the noshow consistently throughout the va system and cancelled appointment sngs. I expect it will, sir. We had a Team Last Week reviewing the existing policy we have today and to determine whether or not we should rescind that policy and replace it with a clear, declaretive set of instructions for our schedulers in the front line. We expect to take that action. We will replace that policy with a revised policy. That allows us to have much more concrete sets of instruction on how to schedule, specific instructions for what to do, f
Us do our oversight hearing as well. I yield back the balance of my time. Thank you very much for your comments this evening. I would ask that all members would waive their Opening Statements is customary in the committee. I would invite the witnesses to please come to the witness table and as you are coming forward, i will introduce you. We will hear from dr. Debra draper, Record Health care for the Government Accountability office. Koski, richard griffin, acting Inspector General of the department of Veterans Affairs, mr. Griffin is accompanied by ms. Linda halliday, assistant inspector for general audits for the department of Veterans Affairs. Witnesses to stand, raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear, under penalty of perjury, that the testimony or about to provide is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth . Thank you very much please be seated. All of your complete written statements will be entered into the record. Here tonight being and dr. Draper, you are r