VA audit turns up concerns
Published: 2010-07-18 20:09:41By: Jodie Jackson Jr. | Columbia Daily Tribune | April 20, 2010
Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital is taking steps to improve several deficiencies cited in a recent report by the Office of the Inspector General.
The OIG’s combined assessment program, or CAP, of the Columbia hospital found five deficiencies among seven functions that were reviewed.
The deficiency that most troubled a national watchdog group was improper sterilization of equipment by operating room staff. VAWatchdog.org founder Larry Scott said the report highlighted ongoing problems with equipment sterilization at Veterans Affairs hospitals and health facilities around the country.
“With the contaminated instrument problems the VA has been having, one would think this would not have been a problem that could be found at any VA hospital,” Scott said.
Stephen Gaither, public affairs officer for Truman Memorial, said the finding related to a technique called “flash sterilization” — a quick sterilization method used in nonemergency situations — and dealt mostly with training and documentation.
“To the best of our knowledge, there’s been no impact on the quality of care,” Gaither said in response to the April 8 report. “That was a documentation problem, not a practice problem.”
Scott’s website incorrectly said the report cited more than two dozen deficiencies.
Hospital and VA network administrators saw the report on March 23
and began implementing corrective actions, Gaither said. Administrators
concurred with each of the seven recommendations from the OIG.