By Walter F. Roche Jr.
An alarming 23 per cent of the urology patients at the troubled Veterans Administration facility in Phoenix, AZ may not be getting needed follow-up care and treatment, according to a new report.
In an interim report citing serious concerns, the VA Inspector General said a review of patient records at the facility shows that records for 759 urology patients out of 2,500 did not contain needed information to determine whether they were getting proper care.
"While our review is ongoing," the report states,"some concerning preliminary findings require your immediate attention."
The overall review was undertaken due to concerns that patients were waiting an undue length of time for care because of ongoing staff shortages. Some 3,321 urology patients may have been affected by those shortages, the IG concluded.
Citing a lack of information in electronic medical records for patients who were sent to non-VA providers for evaluation, the report warns that critical information "may remain unseen for several months."
"This finding suggests, the report continues, that the Phoenix VA "has no accurate data on the clinical status of patients."
Citing chronic understaffing, the auditors noted that only one person had been assigned the task of scanning the critical health data into patients' records.
"This finding also suggests that potentially important recommendations and follow-up are not being addressed," the report states.
"It is critical that staffing and administrative processes related to non-VA authorized care be properly administered," the report concludes.
Problems at the Phoenix VA, including extended delays in getting patient care, triggered a barrage of criticism of the care being provided to veterans and led to the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.
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