This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the inpatient and outpatient care provided at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center and multiple outpatient clinics in Pennsylvania. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:
• Leadership and organizational risks
• Quality, safety, and value
• Medical staff privileging
• Environment of care
• Mental health (emergency department and urgent care center suicide prevention initiatives)
The OIG issued four recommendations for improvement in three areas:
1. Medical Staff Privileging
• Incorporate service-specific criteria in Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations
2. Environment of Care
• Conduct comprehensive environment of care inspections at the required frequency
• Document response times for panic alarm testing
3. Mental Health
• Complete Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluations within the required time frame
The report can be found online here.
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