Plan to enhance sharing between MUSC and VA in Charleston moves forward
 

Charleston, S.C. — Meeting today with Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.) and Health Subcommittee Chairman Henry Brown (R-S.C.) discussed progress on options being considered for enhanced collaboration between MUSC and VA, which could include a co-located, joint-use facility in Charleston.

“Leveraging the existing relationship between MUSC and VA is in our mutual interest,” Buyer said. “Veterans will have increased access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, and the abilities of MUSC to grow and serve the Charleston community will be equally enhanced.”

In December, Buyer and Brown met in Charleston with MUSC and VA officials to review results of the Collaborative Opportunities Steering Group (COSG), formed in August to explore the short- and long-term potential offered by better collaboration between them. Collaboration could include sharing expensive medical equipment unique to South Carolina and construction of new, joint facilities.

“Developing a way of sharing facilities here in Charleston, much as we already share doctors, could provide a model for the federal government when replacing aging VA hospitals across the nation,” Brown said. “As we move forward with this project which will improve care, we will ensure that we preserve veterans’ preference and an environment where veterans can be with their comrades.”

“The next step is to form a planning effort that will resolve any operational issues and formalize plans for infrastructure needed by both organizations,” Buyer said. “That includes developing options for immediate opportunities to enhance sharing.”

Buyer expects MUSC and VA to move now to the Collaborative Opportunities Planning Group (COPG), the next phase. The COPG will undertake more detailed planning and consideration of options. VA and the Veterans’ Affairs Committee could then move to the plan and design phase.

As part of this development process, Brown said that views of the public, veterans’ and military service organizations and the unions representing some VA employees would be involved.

“It’s important that all voices be heard in this process,” Brown said. “If we are creating a model for others, it must be soundly developed.”

The two health care systems already engage in a considerable degree of collaboration: some 95 percent of the physicians working at Charleston’s Johnson VA Medical Center also work at MUSC and exchange nearly $13 million in health services every year. The two organizations are partners in a mutually supported biomedical research facility, the Thurmond/Gazes Biomedical Research Center.

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