VHA Dr. David Shulkin named in top 2016 leader list
At his confirmation hearing last May, Dr. David Shulkin vowed big changes for the VA. Born on an Army base, where his father was a psychiatrist, Dr. Shulkin expressed his deep commitment to Veterans health. He said, “The VA needs more doctors, more nurses and greater efficiency from its current systems…. The status quo is simply unacceptable.” Now in his role as Undersecretary for Health of VA, he is looking for other medical professionals to join him in this effort at the Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Along the way, he has received one of the top recognitions in the industry. Modern Healthcare now ranks Dr. Shulkin number 12 among its Top 50 Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders of 2016. Modern Healthcare, the number one publication in readership among healthcare executives, cited Dr. Shulkin for taking on the complex challenges of VA as well as for his innovative approach. The article mentions the roll out of the “Annie” app, an automated text messaging application geared toward improving self-care efforts of Veterans.
Annie, which will be available on the VA app store, is currently in field testing with a limited audience of Veterans. With this self-care tool, users will be able to send and receive messages securely about their health data and readings. They can also get automated appointment reminders and graph the data they have sent through Annie for easy tracking.
At the beginning of the year, also in Modern Healthcare, Dr. Shulkin drew attention to the needs of the VA for the best professionals:
- Nearly 41,000 vacancies
- Executive opportunities at approximately 25% of VA medical centers and regional networks
Dr. Shulkin underscored the significance of these gaps: “With so many vacant positions, it’s difficult to fix our access issues and continue to make the progress needed in other areas. To effectively tackle the issues facing the VHA, we must start by identifying and hiring more of the right leaders.” If you would like to join Dr. Shulkin in this challenge, we encourage you to Join VA. VHA offers the singular and unique feeling of immense personal and professional satisfaction of helping those who have served our country in uniform. You’ll find positions across the country – big city or small town – that provide outstanding benefits and competitive salaries.
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What I would like to know is why I have to pay $15 everytime I go to the VA. If I go to my civilian doctor, it doesn’t cost me a thing – using Medicare & Tricare. I mean it isn’t much, but it just doesn’t make good Sense.
Wonderbar! May we both and many others live to 120 as Fellow Vets helping each other!
You know that’s a bunch of bull San Diego va is one of the worse in the country when come to get you claim approve even though you have evidence to back up you claim) documentation ) my claim is sitting in San Diego denied because when the va was transition from paper files to posting everything on computer. The va decided my claim. The claim was here in San Diego and my documents was in Wisconsin not yet enter in the computer yet . I talk with them the new San Diego region director when he was walking around SD regional office getting the fill of the place shortly after being assign. I asking him how can BA decide on a claim without having all the paper work in front of them. To pacify me he had one of the intake talk to me land I haven’t heard from Va regional director since even after put again and again to do so. I’ve had ask is there some where I can write or some one other then here in DC I can talk to. The VA is not held accountable. So vets like me will die before we can get help that we need. Thanks again Vietnam War.