IG probes uncover more problems at VA hospitals

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/258652-ig-probes-uncover-more-problems-at-va-hospitals

IG probes uncover more problems at VA hospitals

By Bradford Richardson - 10/30/15 10:12 AM EDT

Three new reports were released this week demonstrating deficiencies at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. The VA Office of Inspector General (IG) released separate reports on clinics in Alaska, Illinois and California showing protracted delays and mismanagement at the hospitals dedicated to providing care for veterans.
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The first evaluation, conducted at a clinic in Los Angeles and released on Wednesday, found that a patient, who later died, “experienced a delay in obtaining a surgical consult to address his complaints of dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).”
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The report also said the Los Angeles facility had “significant numbers of neurology consults open longer than 90 days,” which the clinic blamed on a failure to “close consults properly after patients had been seen.”
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The second report, released on Thursday and evaluating a clinic in Marion, Ill., found that nearly all of the independent practitioners reviewed did not have the necessary skills and training to perform their jobs. It also said the facility did not have a “defined plan or policy to have a qualified surgeon available 24/7 on all within 60 minutes."

The third evaluation, released on Thursday and assessing a clinic in Anchorage, Alaska, found that clean and dirty items were stored together 75 percent of the time in patient care areas. The facility also failed to correct four deficiencies in physical security at facility pharmacies that were identified at least two years ago, and inspectors did not consistently complete pharmacy inspections.

Eighty percent of the clinicians at the Alaska facility were not qualified in suicide-prevention training, and 30 percent of patients assessed to be at high risk of suicide did not have documented safety plans in their health records.

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