Recommendations
2065
| ID | Report Number | Report Title | Type | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-01214-157 | Health Information Management Medical Documentation Backlog | Audit | ||
1 Establish a policy that formally defines “medical document backlog”—specifically, the age of unscanned and unindexed medical documentation.
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2 Implement formal controls to monitor medical document backlogs—specifically, the description of unscanned and unindexed documents, size of the backlog, and age of health records—as well as subsequent actions to reduce the backlogs.
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3 Direct Veterans Integrated Service Networks and facilities with a backlog to allocate additional resources to help clear them.
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4 Implement policy to require chiefs of Health Information Management to notify facility directors when a medical document backlog exists and to take appropriate action.
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5 Assess the scanning process, including staffing and productivity levels, within each facility to ensure authorized staffing levels can support future workload.
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6 Ensure facility directors act on staffing level assessments and obtain the necessary resources within scanning departments.
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7 Implement standardized quality assurance monitoring procedures to improve accurate updating of patients’ electronic health records and completion of corrective actions when errors are identified.
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8 Ensure original documents are retained until the scanning supervisor or designee verifies that scanning staff have met quality assurance monitoring standards established in Recommendation 7.
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9 Develop procedures to ensure facility directors provide adequate document scanning/indexing training, consistent with Veterans Health Administration Handbook 1907.07, prior to allowing employees to scan/index documents without direct supervision and as needed for corrective actions.
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| 16-03597-171 | VA’s Implementation of the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture Scheduling Enhancement Project Near Completion | Audit | ||
1 The assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer should enforce current required project management processes with improved oversight to ensure project planning requirements are adequately defined and supported before starting information technology projects.
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| 19-00004-187 | Alleged Delay in Surgical Care, Lack of Resident Oversight, and Improper Physician Pay at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, Illinois | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital Director evaluates the current surgery scheduling practices to determine if changes are required to improve communication processes, and takes action as necessary.
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2 The Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital Director ensures that documentation is in place that determines part-time physicians’ tours of duty and responsibilities for time and attendance and monitors compliance.
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| 19-00501-175 | Alleged Deficiencies in Mental Health Care Prior to a Death by Suicide at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, California | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Under Secretary for Health expedites the development of a National Suicide Prevention Program policy and procedure to delineate the deactivation process of High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flags and monitors compliance.
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2 The San Diego Healthcare System Director ensures that processes be strengthened to ensure accurate patient medication information is reflected in medication reconciliation documentation and monitors compliance.
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| 18-00808-186 | Mismanagement of a Resuscitation and Other Concerns at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, Biloxi, Mississippi | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director ensures behavior health staff at the Gulf Coast VA Health Care System follow the Emergency/Code Blue procedures for patients needing resuscitative care and compliance is monitored.
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2 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director ensures behavior health nurses adhere to Veterans Health Administration Directive 2011-016 for pronouncement of deaths.
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3 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director makes certain behavioral health unit nurses maintain basic life support competency and training (certification) and monitors compliance.
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4 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director evaluates the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit 25-B nurses’ patient health record documentation (including but not limited to the observations every 15-minutes) for accurate and complete statements and takes action as necessary based on the findings.
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5 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director ensures Gulf Coast VA Health Care System policy and providers comply with Veterans Health Administration policy on the documentation requirements of provider to provider communication of transfer of behavioral health patients.
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6 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director reviews the policy and procedure for use of the emergency carts to include checks, expired equipment, and locked drawers and ensures compliance and oversight.
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7 The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director evaluates the recommendations from the fact-finding review and takes action as necessary.
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8 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director complies with Veterans Health Administration policies regarding institutional disclosure.
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9 The Gulf Coast VA Health Care System Director ensures that required documentation is completed on all basic life support events and reviewed by the critical care committee.
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| 18-00469-150 | Non VA Emergency Care Claims Inappropriately Denied and Rejected | Audit | ||
1 The Under Secretary for Health reevaluates all claims denied after April 8, 2016, for the reason of “other health insurance” for appropriate corrective action.
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2 The Under Secretary for Health implements a clearly defined decision matrix that allows staff to accurately determine when claims should be denied, rejected, or approved; initiate a process to systematically audit denied and rejected claims; and take corrective actions as needed based on audit results.
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3 The Under Secretary for Health develops and implements a control to ensure claims processors have the appropriate options in the claims-processing system of record to request evidence necessary to substantiate third-party liability claims.
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4 The Under Secretary for Health reevaluates all sample claims identified in this audit as inappropriately denied and rejected for appropriate corrective action.
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5 The Under Secretary for Health reevaluates production targets, work production credits, and application of non processing time for voucher examiners to ensure the production targets include claims research.
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6 The Under Secretary for Health requests and ensures the Office of Resolution Management conducts an organizational assessment of the Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement processing locations where staff reported they were directed or encouraged to improperly process claims, and to take appropriate action.
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7 The Under Secretary for Health implements strategic plans to ensure the Office of Community Care, Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement Directorate, emphasizes the accuracy of claims-processing decisions.
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8 The Under Secretary for Health implements controls to ensure eligibility for overtime, telework, and annual performance bonuses for Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement staff includes all facets of performance.
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9 The Under Secretary for Health develops and implements a clearly defined and effective quality assurance program that encompasses all claims decisions and includes a standardized process for supervisors to determine and effectively monitor the extent to which claims processors accurately rejected and denied non VA emergency care claims.
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10 The Under Secretary for Health develops and implements clearly defined controls to ensure Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement processing facilities routinely communicate backlogs of incoming mail to Office of Community Care leaders with associated action plans to accurately record the date the documents were received.
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11 The Under Secretary for Health develops and implements clearly defined controls to ensure Claims Adjudication and Reimbursement processing facilities and VA medical centers timely communicate claims decisions to veterans and providers to ensure veterans are notified of what VA needs to adjudicate the claims and what actions the veteran may take in response.
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| 18-03390-178 | Follow-Up Review of the Veterans Crisis Line, Canandaigua, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; and Topeka, Kansas | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Veterans Crisis Line director ensures analysis of rescue efforts ending because the caller’s location cannot be found, identifies and analyzes metrics that may have contributed to the inability to locate these rescues, and takes remedial action.
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| 17-03557-177 | Episodes of Non-Adherence to Privacy and Security Policies at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach, California | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center Director reviews the communication processes between employees and Biomedical Engineering and Information Technology departments regarding disclosure of patient sensitive information when interface issues exist and takes necessary actions to improve this communication.
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2 The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center Director ensures that facility healthcare staff can identify which patient information or combination of patient information is considered protected from disclosure and staff transfers protected information across all communication modes, including emails and text pages, according to VA/Veterans Health Administration policy.
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3 The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center Director ensures that the Privacy Officer and the Information Systems Security Officer take necessary steps when protected patient information is compromised or possibly breached.
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4 The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center Director considers offering credit monitoring to the 133 identified patients.
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5 The VA Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology reviews and adjusts the Veterans Administration Handbook 6500.2, Management of Breaches Involving Sensitive Personal Information, to include a process and guidance to address sensitive personal information incidents and events such as the use of personal email systems to transfer and store patient sensitive information and texting with personal cell phones.
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6 The Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center Director reviews the facility’s policy and use of physical logbooks and ensures compliance with Veterans Health Administration policy.
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| 19-06386-179 | Factors Contributing to the Death of a Ventilator-Dependent Patient at the VA San Diego Healthcare System, California | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The VA San Diego Healthcare System Director ensures that a policy is developed, staff is trained, and compliance is monitored related to the use of the Passy-Muir® Valve on the Spinal Cord Injury unit to include:
a) Staff education on ventilator alarm settings when an in-line Passy-Muir® Valve is used,
b) Documentation and monitoring of ventilator settings before, during, and after Passy-Muir® Valve use,
c) Documentation of length of time the Passy-Muir® Valve is in place,
d) Back-up plan for monitoring patients on a Passy-Muir® Valve,
e) Patient supervision while using the Passy-Muir® Valve, and
f) Patient and family education on the safe use of the Passy-Muir® Valve.
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2 The VA San Diego Healthcare System Director ensures that a policy is developed for the use of ventilator anti-disconnect devices, that staff are trained, and that compliance is monitored.
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3 The VA San Diego Healthcare System Director confers with the National Center for Patient Safety to determine if a National Patient Safety Advisory should be issued regarding a potential deficit in training for staff who care for ventilated patients in non-intensive care unit settings.
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4 The VA San Diego Healthcare System Director ensures that Spinal Cord Injury and respiratory therapy staff are provided refresher training regarding issues to report to the Patient Safety program.
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5 The VA San Diego Healthcare System Director ensures that Spinal Cord Injury leadership reviews clinical alarms annually and ensures that the review is discussed and documented in Spinal Cord Injury Leadership Committee minutes.
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| 18-05731-176 | Concerns Related to an Inpatient’s Response to Oxycodone and Facility Actions at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, Maryland | Hotline Healthcare Inspection | ||
1 The VA Maryland Health Care System director takes steps to ensure resident supervision meets requirements, and monitors for compliance with Veterans Health Administration policy.
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2 The VA Maryland Health Care System director verifies the capture and reporting of adverse drug events to the national Veterans Health Administration Adverse Drug Event Reporting System, and monitors for compliance.
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3 The VA Maryland Health Care System director ensures staff complete root cause analyses or aggregated reviews for adverse events as required by Veterans Health Administration policy and monitors to ensure completion.
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4 The VA Maryland Health Care System director verifies documentation of clinical disclosures when perceptible effects of an adverse event have occurred, as required, and monitors for compliance.
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5 The VA Maryland Health Care System director ensures peer reviews are evaluated according to VA Maryland Health Care System policy and monitors for compliance.
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6 The VA Maryland Health Care System director verifies that the Surgical Work Group meets and documents minutes as required to include improvement data presentation, discussion, and performance tracking, and monitors for compliance.
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14957