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The Justice Department is considering whether to investigate allegations that Veterans Affairs Department executives lied to Congress to conceal massive cost overruns at a $1.7 billion VA hospital under construction outside Denver. The FBI's Washington field office is reviewing the allegations, the Justice Department said in a letter to Congress. The letter was dated Dec. 9 and made public Tuesday. (Elliot, 12/14)

The Veteran Affairs Department has finalized a rule that will allow advanced-practice registered nurses to practice to their full authority at VA facilities, however the new permission will not expand to certified registered nurse anesthetists following lobbying from anesthesiologists. The change has long been debated at the VA and in Congress but is opposed by the American Medical Association, which immediately slammed the rule after its release Tuesday. “This part of the VA's final rule will rewind the clock to an outdated model of care delivery that is not consistent with the current direction of the healthcare system,” Dr. Andrew Gurman, president of the AMA said in a statement, adding that state law should be followed. (Dickson, 12/13)

Nurse anesthetists will not be able to independently administer anesthesia -- at least as of now -- in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities under a final rule issued Tuesday that scaled back an earlier proposal. (Frieden, 12/13)