NH VA hospital unlikely to be made full-service

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Despite requests from members of the congressional delegation, the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs said Tuesday he does not foresee returning the state's VA hospital to full service.

After touring the Manchester VA Medical Center, VA Secretary James Peake also said he is against giving veterans cards to let them receive treatment at non-VA facilities.

"That's called Yellow-Page medicine," Peake said. "I think that potentially is dangerous, because I'm not sure the individual is necessarily the best consumer. It's hard to be an educated consumer of health care."

He said keeping veterans in the system improves care by keeping it coordinated.

Peake commented hours after being asked by Sen. John Sununu, who invited him on the tour, to return the hospital to full service.

"When Granite State veterans are forced to travel out of the state to receive medical care, it can be a hardship for them and their families," Sununu said in a statement.

Reps. Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes also support making the hospital full-service, and Sununu said veterans should be able to use local non-VA hospitals.

Critics say some New Hampshire veterans must travel to Boston or Vermont because of the limited services in Manchester.

Peake would prefer that veterans seek care at the VA hospital first. If the hospital does not provide the services needed, it can refer patients to out-of-state VA facilities or to local providers the hospital partners with.

Hospital officials said providing specialized services that would be used by only a few veterans does not make sense.

"That's a lot of infrastructure to only manage about 10 patients a day," said Dr. Andrew Breuder, the hospital's chief of staff.

The hospital doesn't provide acute inpatient care or services like radiation treatments for cancer patients.

Hospital officials said their biggest need is for more space. The facility and its four outreach clinics across the state have seen more than 22,000 veterans since October.

The hospital said it has expanded outpatient services, including some surgeries, within the last year, and is adding 26 exam rooms in Manchester and expanding its range of services for female veterans.

New Hampshire is one of three states without a full-service veterans hospital. The hospital was downgraded from a full-service facility seven years ago.

Hawaii and Alaska also lack full-service VA medical centers, but veterans there can use hospitals at military bases.