D.C. VA Hospital Inspection Revealed Instances of Negligence

Negligence occurs more frequently than medical officials like to admit, and in certain circumstances, the issues can be overlooked even though they could be severe and life-threatening.

Complacency and futility were determined to be the reasons for equipment deficits and lack of sterilization in the VA clinic in Washington, D.C., which officials had been aware of for years. A report in March found that the hospital was aware of fund misuse, patient health risks, and improper storage of patient privacy records.

National, regional, and local direction to fix the issues began in 2013; however, an analysis conducted by the inspector general in March 2018 found that the corrections had still not been made. This lack of initiative has put patient lives at risk and has significantly misused taxpayer funding.

In the inspection, it was found that patients had scheduled surgeries, were put under anesthesia, and then the physician realized that the equipment was not available to complete the procedures. Patients had to have procedures canceled and had to come back a second time to start over and finish their surgery. Other situations allowed for clinicians to complete the procedures by borrowing equipment from a hospital nearby.

The shameful conditions that the VA hospital has been willing to accept for years are unacceptable. "The illness of the patient, the history of the medical care provider, and the proprietorship of the facility shouldn't matter. Substandard health care conditions should never be adequate," stated Rich Newsome, senior partner of Medical Malpractice Help.

The report states that though they had numerous warnings, red flags, and continuous signs of these issues, leadership failed to implement successful measures of correction.

Additionally, over 1,000 cartons of documentation was found stored in an unsecured manner which compromised veterans’ personal data and medical accounts. These documents were discovered in an outside dumpster when they should have been shredded.

The clinic also paid extremely high prices for equipment and supplies when they were available for a lesser cost. A specialty needle was purchased for $900 when they could have been bought for $250, and the hospital spent $300 on speculums when they could have been obtained for only $122.

In one instance, the clinic opted to rent three hospital beds for patients who required them for three years, reaching an entire expense of $877,000 when the beds could have been purchased for $21,000. It is unfortunate that the VA clinic in D.C. does not seem to demonstrate wise spending of taxpayer dollars, especially when there are urgent needs for healthcare funding that individuals in need around the world could benefit from.

Mishaps in other VA hospitals include misrepresentation of waiting times for patients – more than 40 veterans passed away while waiting months among approximately 1,500 other patients for appointments in Phoenix.

These incidences are appalling as the facilities are intended to take care of our veterans, and it is surely fair for the VA medical care facilities to be held accountable.