Healthcare Inspection - Delay in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment at a Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Community Based Outpatient Clinic

At the request of Senator Jon Kyl, the OIG conducted an inspection to determine the validity of allegations concerning delay in cancer diagnosis and treatment at a Southern Arizona VA Health Care System Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). We did not substantiate the allegation that a CBOC provider failed to address the patient’s complaints of fatigue and shortness of breath. We substantiated the allegation that the patient did not receive a chest x-ray for a period between 2007 through his final CBOC visit in February 2011. We could not substantiate the allegation of delayed diagnosis of lung cancer. We determined that the provider did not fully evaluate the cause of the patient’s shortness of breath once cardiac causes had been ruled out and did not directly address the patient’s gradual weight loss. The Southern Arizona VA Health Care System had already implemented quality assurance measures to address the issues raised in our review. We made no recommendations.