The Latest: Legislators, tribes demand IHS transparency

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Latest on a U.S. Senate hearing being held in South Dakota to discuss legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving Native Americans (all times local):

2:05 p.m.

Issues of transparency and accountability have dominated the discussion at a U.S. Senate committee hearing on federal legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving members of Native American tribes.

The hearing Friday in Rapid City, South Dakota, of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee came as the Indian Health Service implements a series of agency-wide reforms, some of which address severe quality-of-care deficiencies recently found at hospitals on some reservations.

The demands for increasing transparency came from the members of Congress and tribal leaders attending the hearing. They exhorted the IHS to share contracts with Congress and tribes, consult tribal members before making key decisions and agree to an independent audit.

Mary Wakefield is the acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She says the agency “would welcome” the audit of the IHS.

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11:50 a.m.

Members of Congress are discussing federal legislation aimed at fixing shortcomings at hospitals serving Native American tribes.

The hearing Friday in Rapid City, South Dakota, of the U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee comes as the Indian Health Service implements reforms aimed at addressing severe quality-of-care deficiencies recently found at hospitals on some reservations.

Republican U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, of Wyoming, is the chairman of the committee. He says the bill attempts to solve long-standing issues that have affected the agency.

The proposed legislation is designed to increase transparency and accountability at the Indian Health Service and improve its recruiting and retention practices.

South Dakota’s U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem, who is also in attendance, says the IHS “should get out of the hospital business” as patients seeking care are provided “Third World” care. Dozens of people attending the hearing clapped at her remarks.

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12:30 a.m.

The head of the federal agency responsible for providing health care to members of Native American tribes believes legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate would help the department fix severe shortcomings at its network of hospitals across the country.

Indian Health Service principal deputy director Mary Smith spoke with The Associated Press hours ahead of a U.S. Senate committee hearing scheduled for Friday in South Dakota. The proposed legislation was expected to be discussed during the hearing.

The agency is already implementing a series of reforms, some of which are in response to severe quality-of-care deficiencies health inspectors recently found at hospitals on Native American reservations in the Great Plains.

Smith says the bill address issues of accountability and quality.