United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2005-09-26 monographic deposited born digital 27 p. GA 1.13:GAO-05-1041T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T P0b002ee18037d6de f:d051041t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T GAO-05-1041T Facility maintenance Health care facilities Health care services Health centers Joint ventures Veterans hospitals Testimony A38138 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains partnerships, or affiliations, with university medical schools to obtain medical services for veterans and provide training for medical residents. In 2002, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)--which is affiliated with VA's medical facility in Charleston--proposed that VA and MUSC enter into a joint venture for a new VA facility as part of MUSC's plan to expand its medical campus. Under the proposal, MUSC and VA would jointly construct and operate a new medical center in Charleston. In 2004, the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission, an independent body charged with assessing VA's capital asset requirements, issued its recommendations on the realignment and modernization of VA's capital assets. Although the Commission did not recommend a replacement facility for Charleston, it did recommend, among other things, that VA promptly evaluate MUSC's proposal. This testimony discusses GAO's preliminary findings on the (1) current condition of the Charleston facility, (2) extent to which VA and MUSC collaborated on the joint venture proposal, and (3) issues for VA to consider when exploring the opportunity to participate in the joint venture. VA concurred with GAO's preliminary findings. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T.pdf GAO-05-1041T https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-05-1041T Testimony GAO-05-1041T; VA Health Care: Preliminary Information on the Joint Venture Proposal for VA's Charleston Facility; Facility maintenance Health care facilities Health care services Health centers Joint ventures Veterans hospitals Volume 117 Page 2042 117 Stat. 2042 Public Law 108-170