Combined Assessment Program Review of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The purpose of the review was to evaluate selected operations, focusing on patient care administration and quality management (QM). During the review, OIG provided crime awareness briefings to 350 employees. The review covered eight activities. The facility complied with selected standards in the following three activities: (1) enteral nutrition safety, (2) management of workplace violence, and (3) physician credentialing and privileging. The facility’s reported accomplishment was the mental health unit’s sensory modulation room, which reduced assaults by decreasing external stimulation for aggressive patients. OIG made recommendations for improvement in the following five activities: (1) QM, (2) registered nurse competencies, (3) environment of care, (4) medication management, and (5) coordination of care.