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Vendors urge procurement reforms as they report slow VA adoption of new cardiac, imaging and prosthetics technology
Summary
Executives from Boston Scientific and Philips told the House Veterans' Affairs Committee that clinician-led contracting, transparent budgets and repeat product‑addition windows would speed VA adoption; witnesses said staffing shortages and a difficult prosthetics contract delay rollout of technologies already common in civilian hospitals.
Industry witnesses told the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs that VA procurement processes and local budget uncertainty slow the adoption of medical technologies that are widely used in civilian hospitals.
Boston Scientific's Will Gray said the MedSurg Prime Vendor (MSPV) program — a clinician-led national contract for many nonimplant products — is an example of a working model because it allows product additions twice a year and clinician input. He urged similar features for the Prosthetics and Sensory Aid Services (PSAS) contract to bring new implants and prosthetics into VA in a timely way.
"We recommend a transparent, predictable budget process at the hospital level," Gray said, listing hiring procurement staff, adding twice‑yearly product cycles to PSAS and creating an "innovation fast track" for high‑impact technologies among his suggestions.
Adoption gaps and examples: Gray said one newly dominant cardiac technique — pulsed-field ablation for atrial fibrillation — was projected to be used in about 61 percent of civilian electrophysiology procedures this year but that "less than 10 percent of VA hospitals have access to that therapy." Philips' Jeff DeLullo described other opportunities, including a Telecritical Care program and a Radiology Operations Command Center that can standardize image acquisition, connect radiology expertise across sites and reduce repeat scans.
Why this matters: Committee members and witnesses said clinician involvement, predictable budgets and staffing for procurement are foundational to getting devices into VA operating rooms and imaging suites. Members from both parties pressed witnesses about pricing, maintenance requirements and nonclinical staff needed to install and service equipment.
Ending: Witnesses said they would share contract and sales information with the committee where possible; several members indicated they would seek further documents and VA testimony to verify adoption figures, pricing and the operational impact of proposed procurement changes.
