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UPDATE: MARION VA ADMINISTRATORS KNEW SURGEON
WAS NOT PROPERLY CREDENTIALED -- VA
investigation:
Former director ignored troubling patient
incident reports, failed
to establish a follow-up process for patient
deaths and allowed
financial considerations to predominate over
quality of care.
Marion, Ill. VA facility.
We finally have the first bits of information
about the VA's investigation into the severe problems at the Marion, Ill.
VA.
NOTE: A second story has been added to this
page as more information became available.
For complete background about the problems at the
Marion, Ill. VA, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=marion&op=and
Original story here...
http://www.southernillinoisan.co
m/articles/2008/08/14/breaking_news/doc48a48
7af0d07e739487934.txt
Story below:
-------------------------
Report: Marion VA
administrators knew surgeon was not properly credentialed
BY JOHN HOMAN, The
Southern
MARION — The most recent investigation into the VA Medical Center in
Marion has revealed that hospital managers knew some doctors there were
not properly credentialed, including Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, a surgeon at
least partly responsible for nine confirmed patient deaths last year.
 The
first part of a three-part report filed by the Veterans Affairs
Administrative Investigation Board was released Thursday and confirmed
numerous problems that existed at the VA Medical Center in Marion.
The AIB will make employment recommendations concerning former leadership
at Marion.
In its report, the AIB notes that management at Marion dismissed warnings
as to the surgeon’s credentials as “administrative difficulties.”
According to the report, the former medical center director failed to
properly focus on the quality of care at the Marion VA Medical Center by
ignoring troubling patient incident reports, failing to establish a
follow-up process for patient deaths, and allowing financial
considerations to predominate over quality of care issues.
-------------------------
Updated story here...
http://www.thesouthern.c
om/articles/2008/08/14/breaking_news/doc48a
4b7ba413f3552039995.txt
Story below:
-------------------------
Report slams former Marion VA administration
BY JOHN HOMAN, The Southern
MARION — The most recent investigation into the VA Medical Center in
Marion reveals hospital managers knew some doctors there were not properly
credentialed, including Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, a surgeon suspected of
being at least partly responsible for nine confirmed patient deaths last
year.
The first of a three-part report filed by the Veterans Affairs
Administrative Investigation Board (AIB) charges that numerous problems
existed at the VA Medical Center in Marion.
The AIB will make employment recommendations concerning the former
leadership at Marion.
In its report, the AIB notes that management at Marion dismissed warnings
about Veizaga-Mendez’s credentials as “administrative difficulties.”
The Southern Illinoisan's attempts to reach Veizaga-Mendez for comment
have been unsuccessful.
The report says the former medical center director failed to properly
focus on the quality of care by ignoring troubling patient incident
reports; failed to establish a follow-up process for patient deaths; and
allowed financial considerations to predominate over quality-of-care
issues.
The investigative report also contends the former nurse executive had a
duty to report the poor relationship between the director and the chief of
staff, but did not because she was afraid of retribution.
"The first part of the report by the Department of Veterans Affairs'
Administrative Board of Investigation demonstrates VA's continued
determination to fix the underlying causes of the quality of care problems
which existed at the Marion VA Medical Center during parts of 2006 and
2007,” said Alison Aikele, press secretary for the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs.
“It is a major step in our efforts to hold those who allowed those
problems to happen accountable. VA remains saddened by what has happened
to some of our patients at Marion and is determined to do what's right for
our patients and their families,” Aikele said. “We are determined not only
to correct the problems we ourselves uncovered, but to make Marion and all
VA facilities models for excellence in health care throughout the nation."
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, said every report from the VA seems
to confirm his worst suspicions about the former leadership at the Marion
VA Medical Center.
“The report shows that the management team at Marion failed to act when
questions were raised about the credentialing of Dr. Veizaga-Mendez and
failed again when they ignored desperate pleas for additional staff needed
to provide adequate care.
“The VA needs to implement the recommendations in this report, but that is
not enough. It is past time that a new (permanent) leadership team is in
place in Marion and the VA must act swiftly to make that happen.”
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Chicago, said veterans in Illinois and
throughout the country should expect nothing less than the best health
care and treatment from the nation's veterans’ facilities.
“This report confirms that a failure in leadership and a breakdown of
safeguards allowed these tragedies to occur at the Marion VA. It appears
the VA has taken action to relieve several individuals of their
responsibilities since this investigation was conducted.”
Congressman Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, said it’s truly staggering that
the behavior documented and the effect that it was having on patient care
and morale could occur for years without anyone at the regional level
demanding changes.
“Perhaps most troubling is the fact that patient health was secondary to
the financial health of the facility,” he said.
Congressman John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, said Marion’s priority should be
caring for the veterans. “Clearly, that was not the case under the
previous leadership,” he said. “My colleagues and I will continue to work
to see that appropriate changes are carried out, and carried out quickly.”
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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