Healthcare Inspection: Alleged Staffing and Quality of Care Issues at VA Black Hills Health Care System, Hot Springs, South Dakota.

摘要

At the request of Senators Tim Johnson and John Thune, and Representative Kristi Noem, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Office of Healthcare Inspections conducted a review to determine the validity of allegations regarding staffing and quality of care and safety concerns at the VA Black Hills Health Care System, Hot Springs, SD. On May 8, 2012, the Senators and Representative forwarded to the OIG a letter from complainants requesting an onsite review to assess the current hiring, staffing, and managerial support for clinical care at the Hot Springs division of the VA Black Hills Health Care System. Specifically, the complainants alleged that only temporary staff were hired for critical clinical positions and that staffing issues led to quality of care and safety concerns. During our onsite interviews, we received numerous complaints regarding a proposal of change1 We received two additional allegations while onsite: for the Hot Springs division. We did not address these complaints as they were outside the scope of this review.