Recommendations
2102
| ID | Report Number | Report Title | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21-01820-159 | Care in the Community Healthcare Inspection of VA Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 23) | Care in the Community Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The VISN 23 Director ensures implementation and sustainment of initial and annual home visits for patients accepted into the VISN 23 home dialysis program.
Closure Date:
2 The VISN 23 Director ensures the implementation and sustainment of quality monitoring of contracted clinical services for home dialysis.
Closure Date:
3 The VISN 23 Director ensures that VA providers receive mammography reports from non-VA providers within the established acceptable timeframe.
Closure Date:
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| 21-03525-148 | Failure to Follow a Consult Process Resulting in Undocumented Patient Care at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center in Ohio | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Chillicothe VA Medical Center Director ensures urgent care providers, chiropractors, and clinical massage therapists are educated on consult processes and procedures and the requirement of timely documentation.
Closure Date:
2 The Chillicothe VA Medical Center Director conducts an internal review of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program processes related to patient care including receiving and reviewing consults, scheduling appointments, checking-in patients for care, and documentation.
Closure Date:
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| 21-01048-154 | Deficiencies in the Care of a Patient Who Died at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director reviews the primary care provider’s care of the patient in the year prior to surgery and takes action as indicated.
Closure Date:
2 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director ensures patient aligned care team nurses are aware of and comply with the Veterans Health Administration patient aligned care team policy including requirements for same-day access.
Closure Date:
3 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director ensures patient aligned care team physicians are aware of and comply with the Veterans Health Administration directive regarding communication of test results to patients including time frames and communication of associated treatment plans.
Closure Date:
4 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director ensures that surrogates are assigned for patient aligned care team nurses while they are on leave.
Closure Date:
5 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director reviews the patient’s preoperative care, including additional quality reviews, and takes action as indicated.
Closure Date:
6 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director reviews medical-surgical unit nurses’ care of the patient and takes action as warranted.
Closure Date:
7 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director evaluates the use of the Trendelenburg position in inpatient areas and provides education to all facility nursing staff on the potential risks of and indications for use.
Closure Date:
8 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director ensures that all medical-surgical unit nurses demonstrate competency to provide adequate alcohol withdrawal care and monitors for compliance.
Closure Date:
9 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director implements controls to ensure care provided by medical-surgical unit nurses is of an acceptable quality.
Closure Date:
10 The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center Director ensures that the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center alcohol withdrawal treatment protocol is specific, does not conflict with physicians’ orders, and aligns with the probable onset of patients’ alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
Closure Date:
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| 21-00533-157 | The Veterans Health Administration Needs to Do More to Promote Emotional Well-Being Supports Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic | National Healthcare Review | ||
1 The Under Secretary for Health reviews the processes by which COVID-19 emotional well-being resources were developed and disseminated and takes action as needed to increase and ensure Veterans Integrated Service Network and facility leadership as well as facility staff’s awareness of available resources about the potential risks and signs of burnout.
Closure Date:
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| 21-00296-145 | Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection of the VA New Jersey Health Care System in East Orange | Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program | ||
1 The Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures the Systems Redesign Coordinator participates on the Quality Leadership Council.
Closure Date:
2 The Chief of Staff evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures the Peer Review Committee recommends individual improvement actions, and clinical managers implement the committee’s recommendations.
Closure Date:
3 The Chief of Staff evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and makes certain that staff complete final peer reviews within 120 calendar days from the date it is determined a peer review is required or have a written extension request approved by the Director.
Closure Date:
4 The Chief of Staff evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and makes certain that the Peer Review Committee submits quarterly summaries of peer review data for review by the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff.
Closure Date:
5 The Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and makes certain that the Surgical Work Group meets at least monthly.
Closure Date:
6 The Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures credentialing staff complete primary source verification of all registered nurses’ licenses prior to initial appointment.
Closure Date:
7 The Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Patient Care Services evaluate and determine any additional reasons for noncompliance and make certain all inter-facility transfers are monitored and evaluated as part of the Veterans Health Administration’s Quality Management Program.
Closure Date:
8 The Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Patient Care Services evaluate and determine any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensure all required members attend Disruptive Behavior Committee meetings.
Closure Date:
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| 18-04227-91 | Joint Audit of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs Efforts to Achieve Electronic Health Record System Interoperability | Special Review | ||
1 We recommend that the Deputy Secretary of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs review the actions of the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Program Office and direct the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Program Office to develop processes and procedures in accordance with the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Program Office charter and the National Defense Authorization Acts.
Closure Date:
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| 21-00300-130 | Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection of the Northport VA Medical Center in New York | Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program | ||
1 The Chief of Staff evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and makes certain that staff conduct a peer review for all applicable deaths that occur within 24 hours of admission.
Closure Date:
2 The Medical Center Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures that credentialing staff complete primary source verification of all registered nurses’ licenses at the time of initial application.
Closure Date:
3 The Associate Director for Patient Care Services determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures nurse-to-nurse communication occurs between sending and receiving facilities.
Closure Date:
4 The Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Patient Care Services evaluate and determine any additional reasons for noncompliance and make certain that required members attend Disruptive Behavior Committee meetings.
Closure Date:
5 The Medical Center Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures that staff complete all required prevention and management of disruptive behavior training based on the risk level assigned to their work areas.
Closure Date:
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| 21-02125-132 | Purchases of Smartphones and Tablets for Veterans’ Use during the COVID-19 Pandemic | Review | ||
1 Establish a realistic goal for days in storage along with a process for closely monitoring days in storage and taking corrective actions when the goal is not met.
Closure Date:
2 Perform a cost-benefit analysis in conjunction with VA contracting officials and the contractor to determine whether a new process can be implemented that initiates the data plan when a device is issued to the veteran or otherwise reduces unused plan costs.
Closure Date:
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| 21-02209-147 | Inadequate Discharge Coordination for a Vulnerable Patient at the Portland VA Medical Center in Oregon | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The VA Portland Health Care System Director considers adding the requirement to document family contacts in patients’ electronic health records in Portland VA Medical Center Policy 11-11, Discharge Planning, and ensures that staff document contact with family members, including notification of discharge, when applicable.
Closure Date:
2 The VA Portland Health Care System Director ensures a review of the Emergency Department social worker’s care coordination of the patient and takes action as warranted.
Closure Date:
3 The VA Portland Health Care System Director considers requiring Privacy Office staff to communicate the specific missing element(s) when returning a release of information request.
Closure Date:
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| 21-00291-136 | Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection of the VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System in Bath, New York | Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program | ||
1 The Chief of Staff evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures that staff complete suicide safety plan training prior to developing suicide safety plans.
Closure Date:
2 The Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Patient and Nursing Services evaluate and determine any additional reasons for noncompliance and make certain that all transfers are monitored and evaluated as part of VHA’s Quality Management Program.
Closure Date:
3 The Associate Director for Patient and Nursing Services evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures nurse-to-nurse communication occurs between sending and receiving facilities.
Closure Date:
4 The Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Patient and Nursing Services evaluate and determine any additional reasons for noncompliance and make certain that required members attend Disruptive Behavior Committee meetings.
Closure Date:
5 The System Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures employees complete all required prevention and management of disruptive behavior training based on the risk level assigned to their work areas.
Closure Date:
6 The System Director evaluates and determines any additional reasons for noncompliance and ensures Employee Threat Assessment Team members complete required training.
Closure Date:
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15160