Healthcare Inspection: Clinical Privileges and Airway Management, Marion VA Medical Center, Marion, Illinois.

摘要

The VA Office of Inspector General Office of Healthcare Inspections conducted an inspection to determine the validity of allegations regarding quality of care at the Marion VA Medical Center, Marion, IL. Four complaints were received between October 2011 and January 2012 regarding the clinical practice of two physicians. In February 2012, Senator Richard J. Durbin forwarded additional allegations concerning one of the physicians. This report addresses allegations regarding quality of care provided for the three patients named by complainants, and describes findings from our site visit. Not addressed in this report are allegations regarding quality of care for additional patients not specifically identified, and allegations regarding a second physician. In the care of one patient, the risk of complications requiring urgent intervention should have been discussed with the patient as part of the informed consent process prior to a procedure, at which time the patients therapeutic preferences could have been clarified. We identified no deficiencies in quality of care for the other two patients. We also found that a physician who was hired after not being in clinical practice for many years was granted clinical privileges with the understanding that his competence would be confirmed by direct observation. However, competence was never documented for invasive procedures that he subsequently performed.