Use of VA Inventory/Supply System Scrapped at Least Temporarily

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

A controversial multimillion dollar inventory supply and control system at Pittsburgh area Veterans Affairs facilities is being put aside, at least temporarily, following multiple complaints including warnings that veterans health care could be jeopardized.
The suspension of the Shipcom Wireless system was disclosed to Pittsburgh area VA employees last week and it followed a series of meetings in which workers detailed continuing problems with the system put in place by the Texas based firm.
In an email to employees Thursday, Vincent Scalamogna, an inventory control chief, said plans were being developed to convert back to the old inventory system.
"Leadership has heard your concerns," the email states.
VA officials in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did officials of Shipcom.
The contract, which is being implemented at several other VA facilities across the country, drew attention in Pittsburgh when former VISN 4 Director Michael Moreland surfaced as an advisor to Shipcom.
Under the contract Shipcom could ultimately earn some $275 million in payments.
Moreland had resigned from the director's job amid growing criticism of the handling of a legionella outbreak in local facilities that resulted in six known deaths.
Subsequently VA officials barred Moreland's further involvement due to his prior role as the regional director.
Criticism of the Shipcom system and its use of a computer program began nearly as soon as implementation began.
Employees reported long delays in obtaining needed medical supplies and warned that patient care could be affected. At one point recently, no supply requests could be made because the computer system crashed.
Workers reported that they were forced to get some needed supplies from other area non- VA hospitals.
Returning to the old in-house inventory system, however, may pose additional problems. Dozens of supply bins used under the old system have been scrapped.
In his email Scalamogna told employees that meeting already had been scheduled to plan the conversion to the old system.
"After this meeting we will hold meetings with impacted Logistics team members to review, modify and finalize the conversion plan," the email states. "Once our plan is fianlized, I will present it to leadership and seek approval to begin the conversion."
He wrote that the old system would be used until Shipcom and VA officials in Washington could "sort out" the problems with the new computer system called Catamaran.
wfrochejr999@gmail.com