[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 15, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H2750-H2751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HIGHLIGHTING THE STAFF OF MANCHESTER VA MEDICAL CENTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Hampshire (Mr. Pappas) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAPPAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight the incredible 
efforts of the staff at the Manchester, New Hampshire, VA Medical 
Center, who worked long hours to resolve a massive backlog of unpaid 
medical claims for community care.
  In a district where veterans travel long distances to get to a VA 
facility, community care has been a game-changer for vets to receive 
the services they need closer to home. But in the early years of the 
Choice Act, and now the Mission Act, provider payment delays and 
bureaucratic errors threatened the stability of community care networks 
and, ultimately, the access to critical lifesaving care for veterans.
  One of the first providers who contacted our office was an 
acupuncturist who provides care to veterans experiencing PTS and 
debilitating pain. The acupuncturist was passionate about caring for 
those who served, but the chronic billing delays were creating severe 
uncertainty and financial hardship for her office.
  She introduced me to a group of veterans that she cares for in her 
office to learn a little bit more about their experience. They all had 
a remarkable story about how their quality of life had improved since 
accessing these services through VA community care. But they understood 
that payment delays could disrupt that.
  Countless other providers, including large hospital systems and small 
care organizations, were also caught up in this claims backlog. The VA 
was making it difficult, if not impossible, for many of these providers 
to continue serving veterans.
  The issue of unpaid claims was compounded in the Northeast region by 
VA's multiple transitions between third-party administrators over the 
last few years. It created confusion and frustration in both the 
provider and the veteran communities.
  I knew we couldn't let our veterans down, and that is why I am so 
thankful for the efforts of the community care team at the Manchester 
VA for working with our office, with providers, as well as the third-
party billers to thoroughly address this issue.
  Our office worked closely with the leadership at the Manchester VA 
Medical Center and the New Hampshire Hospital Association and its 
members. A plan was developed to painstakingly delve into the minutiae 
of the claims backlog, line by line, so that providers could be paid 
for legacy claims and receive timely payments for future services.

[[Page H2751]]

  The Manchester VA Medical Center's Office of Community Care steadily 
plowed through the backlog, giving specialized attention to each 
provider. After more than 15 months of their hard work, I am proud 
these diligent efforts have resulted in tens of millions of dollars of 
paid claims to New Hampshire's VA Community Care providers. They were 
so successful in this work that their internal process is now being 
shared nationally across the VA system as a model.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to personally thank the team members at the 
VA in Manchester who put in so many hours to address this backlog, 
including:
  Michelle Mercer, who spent considerable time dealing with each 
member's hospital billing department;
  Patricia Patterson, who also spent considerable time dealing with 
each member's billing department;
  Tracy Allaire, who worked closely with Tri-West on claims on behalf 
of hospitals on the back end;
  Charlene Eaton, who supervised and provided oversight to the VA 
Office of Community Care staff;
  Dr. Brain Phemester, who worked and provided leadership and served as 
a conduit between VA Central Office and the New Hampshire Hospital 
Association and its members;
  And Daniel Wilson, who initially spearheaded the billing resolution 
effort within the VA Central Office, and worked with our district 
office and the Hospital Association.
  These Manchester VA Medical Center employees went above and beyond 
the call of duty for our veterans and the providers, as well as the 
future of community care. I couldn't be more proud to be able to 
recognize them for their efforts here today.

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