All Reports

Create a process for facilities to regularly update and verify specialty care clinics’ phone numbers listed in internal facility directories and on websites.

Annually evaluate and verify that automated interactive phone systems route veterans directly to the correct specialty care clinic and assess whether the phone systems support first-call resolution.

Reconfigure specialty care clinics’ phone lines to be able to collect required call performance data and assess whether centralized queues enhance the efficiency of phone management.

Provide guidance to specialty care clinics on how they should manage and respond to voicemails, including for routine reviews of voicemail data.

Provide guidance that assigns both the responsibility for and the frequency of routine monitoring of call performance data and analyses of complaint data trends from the patient advocate system to identify and address veterans’ phone access issues for specialty care clinics.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director conducts a comprehensive review of the care provided to the patient prior to the event, and takes action as indicated.

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center Director ensures that the facility has a mechanism in place for how Veterans Health Administration healthcare professionals will provide content of suicide prevention safety plans when completing suicide prevention safety plans with patients over the phone.

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center Director reviews facility Primary Care-Mental Health Integration guidance documents and ensures consistency and alignment with Veterans Health Administration requirements.

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center Director reconsiders the practice of reauthoring notes in the Computerized Patient Record System by behavioral health technicians in the Primary Care-Mental Health Integration call center, identifies other facility areas that use the reauthoring process, and takes action as indicated.

The Under Secretary for Health evaluates ways to mitigate the implications resulting from users’ ability to change authors in an unsigned note in the Computerized Patient Record System to ensure that such practice is limited to those in roles with a need to have that function, and takes action as indicated.

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center Director ensures that root cause analyses are completed in accordance with Veterans Health Administration policy, including root cause analysis process steps, timeliness, and team roles.

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center Director ensures that patient safety managers receive oversight, training, and support as required by the Veterans Health Administration.

The Robley Rex VA Medical Center Director ensures that the chief of quality understands the seriousness and implications of altering documentation without support, and that leaders, whose actions contributed to the deficiencies outlined in this report, receive administrative action, as appropriate.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System Director ensures 3C leaders are aware of and comply with Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist requirements on the inpatient mental health unit.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System Director reviews the inpatient mental health patient safety observation practices to ensure compliance with VHA SOP 1160.06.1, “Standard Operating Procedure for Maintaining Safety and Security on Inpatient Mental Health Units Under VHA Directive 1160.06,” and Facility Medical Center Policy 118-01, Enhanced Observation Level requirements.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System Director ensures staff performing patient safety observation on 3C receive recurring training on conducting observation practices, including face-to-face visualization, in alignment with VHA SOP 1160.06.1, “Standard Operating Procedure for Maintaining Safety and Security on Inpatient Mental Health Units Under VHA Directive 1160.06,” requirements.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System Director develops and implements an oversight process for ongoing monitoring of inpatient mental health patient safety observation practices and documentation to ensure compliance with VHA SOP 1160.06.1, “Standard Operating Procedure for Maintaining Safety and Security on Inpatient Mental Health Units Under VHA Directive 1160.06” requirements.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System Director develops a plan to reassess the effectiveness of the oversight process.

The West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System Director ensures that when 3C leaders identify incongruencies between patient safety observation practice and documentation, 3C leaders conduct a review of the incident and take corrective action, as warranted.

The Veterans Crisis Line Executive Director takes action to evaluate and implement mechanisms that facilitate ongoing, bidirectional communication between Veterans Crisis Line frontline staff and leaders to ensure staff have an avenue to express concerns, share feedback, and receive timely, relevant responses.

The Veterans Crisis Line Executive Director considers using social service assistant-specific workload data to determine social service assistant staffing levels rather than a fixed ratio of responders to social service assistants.

The Under Secretary for Health ensures alcohol use screening performance monitoring to demonstrate sustained improvement of required alcohol use screening.

The Under Secretary for Health reviews the clinical implications and considers implementing sex-specific thresholds to prompt the delivery of brief intervention in response to alcohol use screening and takes action as appropriate.

The Facility Director ensures the Mental Health Executive Council includes veteran representation.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director provides oversight and monitoring of bed utilization.

The Chief of Mental Health ensures a minimum of four hours of recovery-oriented, interdisciplinary programming on weekends on the inpatient mental health unit.

The Facility Director develops and implements written processes to monitor and track compliance with state involuntary commitment requirements.

The Chief of Staff ensures staff use the required admission note template to document legal commitment status.

The Chief of Staff ensures documentation of discussions between prescribers and veterans on the risks and benefits of newly prescribed central nervous system medications.

The Chief of Staff ensures discharge summaries are completed within two business days of discharge.

The Chief of Staff ensures discharge instructions for veterans include appointment locations written in easy-to-understand language.

The Chief of Staff ensures discharge instructions for veterans include an explanation when both trade and generic names are used for the same medication.

The Chief of Staff directs staff to complete and document the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale within 24 hours before veterans’ discharge.

The Facility Director directs nonclinical staff to complete VA S.A.V.E. training requirements.

The Facility Director ensures compliance with Veterans Health Administration requirements for the Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team, including an assigned lead and recording of meeting minutes and membership.

The Facility Director implements processes to ensure the Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team applies Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist standards on the inpatient mental health unit.

The Facility Director directs inpatient unit staff and Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team members to complete Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist training requirements.

The Facility Executive Director ensures the Mental Health Executive Council includes veteran representation.

The Facility Executive Director ensures staff complete the mental health nursing admission screen note, with veterans’ legal status, for admissions to the inpatient mental health unit and develops a plan to monitor for sustained compliance.

The Chief of Staff ensures documentation of discussions between the prescriber and veteran on the risks and benefits of newly prescribed medications prior to administration and develops a plan to monitor for sustained compliance.

The Chief of Staff ensures veterans’ discharge instructions are written in easy-to-understand language and include the purpose of each medication.

The Facility Executive Director ensures staff complete VA S.A.V.E. training and develops a plan to monitor for sustained compliance.

The Facility Executive Director ensures Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team members participate in Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist inspections and develops a plan to monitor for sustained compliance.

The Facility Executive Director ensures all required individuals complete Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist annual training and develops a plan to monitor for sustained compliance.

District leaders and the Prince George’s County Vet Center Director collaborate with the supporting VA medical facility to determine reasons for noncompliance with staff participation in the mental health executive council, take action as indicated, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Prince George’s County, Fayetteville, and Chesapeake Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completing four hours of external clinical consultation for clinically complex cases per month, ensure a process is implemented to complete consultation requirements, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Prince George’s County and Fayetteville Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with employees completing select training in the required time frame, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Prince George’s County, Fayetteville, and Chesapeake Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completion of an outreach plan with all required strategic components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Prince George’s County and Chesapeake Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with monthly fire extinguisher inspections, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Prince George’s County Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with annual fire extinguisher servicing, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Fayetteville and Chesapeake Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with monthly automated external defibrillator inspections, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Fayetteville Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with annual automated external defibrillator servicing by VA medical center biomedical engineering, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Chesapeake Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with having an emergency and crisis plan that includes required components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Lancaster Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with completing four hours of external clinical consultation for clinically complex cases per month, ensure a process is implemented to complete consultation requirements, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the White Oak Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with employees completing select training in the required time frame, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Dubois, Lancaster, and White Oak Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completion of an outreach plan with all required strategic components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Buffalo Vet Center Director collaborate with the supporting VA medical facility to determine reasons for noncompliance with staff participation in the mental health executive council, take action as indicated, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Buffalo, Nassau, and Syracuse Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completing four hours of external clinical consultation for clinically complex cases per month, ensure a process is implemented to complete consultation requirements, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Buffalo, Nassau, and Syracuse Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with employees completing select training in the required time frame, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Buffalo and Nassau Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completion of an outreach plan with all required strategic components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Syracuse Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with monthly fire extinguisher inspections, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Syracuse Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with annual fire extinguisher servicing, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Syracuse Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with monthly automated external defibrillator inspections, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Syracuse Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with annual automated external defibrillator servicing by VA medical center biomedical engineering, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Nassau and Syracuse Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with having an emergency and crisis plan that includes required components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders determine reasons why there are discrepancies in the vet center address on VA and public-facing websites and ensure all websites include correct location information.

District leaders and the New Haven Vet Center Directors collaborate with the supporting VA medical facility to determine reasons for noncompliance with staff participation on the mental health executive council, take action as indicated, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the New Haven, Sanford, and Providence Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completing four hours of external clinical consultation for clinically complex cases per month, ensure a process is implemented to complete consultation requirements, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Sanford Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with completing monthly reviews of 10 percent of active client records for each counselor’s caseload, ensure completion and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the New Haven, Sanford, and Providence Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with employees completing select training in the required time frame, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the New Haven, Sanford, and Providence Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with completion of an outreach plan with all required strategic components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the New Haven and Providence Vet Center Directors determine reasons for noncompliance with monthly fire extinguisher inspections, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the New Haven Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with monthly automated external defibrillator inspections, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

District leaders and the Sanford Vet Center Director determine reasons for noncompliance with having an emergency and crisis plan that includes required components, ensure completion, and monitor compliance.

The Facility Director ensures the Mental Health Executive Council operates in accordance with Veterans Health Administration requirements.

The Chief of Mental Health ensures compliance with Veterans Health Administration requirements for a full-time local recovery coordinator.

The Chief of Mental Health ensures a minimum of four hours of recovery-oriented, interdisciplinary programming on weekdays and weekends on the inpatient mental health unit.

The Facility Director considers consulting with the Office of Mental Health to clarify guidelines for design elements such as artwork on the inpatient unit.

The Facility Director considers alternatives to outdoor access for the inpatient unit, such as those identified in VA’s Design Guide for Inpatient Mental Health & Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program Facilities.

The Facility Director develops and implements written processes to monitor and track compliance with state laws for involuntary hospitalization and consults with the Office of General Counsel to ensure processes are consistent with applicable laws.

The Chief of Staff ensures documentation of informed consent discussions between the prescriber and veteran on the risks and benefits of newly prescribed medications.

The Chief of Staff ensures veterans’ discharge instructions are written in easy-to-understand language and include the follow-up mental health appointment location, the purpose of each medication, and how the medication is supposed to be taken.

The Facility Director ensures the Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team adheres to Veterans Health Administration requirements, including recording membership and attendance for Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist inspections.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director implements processes to ensure the Veterans Integrated Service Network Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist Oversight Team provides facility guidance consistent with Veterans Health Administration requirements.

The Facility Director implements processes to ensure Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team staff accurately identify and document safety hazards within the Patient Safety Assessment Tool.

The Facility Director ensures the Mental Health Executive Council includes veteran representation.

The Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health ensures the development and implementation of written processes for staff training, education, and recovery-oriented services.

The Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health ensures a minimum of four hours of recovery-oriented, interdisciplinary programming on weekends on the inpatient mental health unit.

The Facility Director develops and implements written processes to monitor and track compliance with state involuntary commitment requirements.

The Chief of Staff ensures discharge instructions for veterans include appointment locations in easy-to-understand language.

The Facility Director directs staff to comply with VA S.A.V.E. training requirements and monitors for compliance.

The Facility Director directs inpatient unit staff, volunteers, and Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team members to comply with Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist training requirements and monitors for compliance.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director ensures the installation of night lighting changes to accommodate patient comfort and facility staff’s ability to safely conduct rounding in applicable inpatient mental health unit patient rooms.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director ensures establishment and implementation of guidance related to the facility inpatient mental health unit staff’s use and security of handheld flashlights to ensure appropriate education and training of handheld flashlights usage and storage.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director establishes and ensures implementation of a patient safety observation rounds standard operating procedure consistent with Veterans Health Administration requirements.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director reviews facility Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist processes related to development of mitigation plans as required by the Veterans Health Administration, and monitors compliance.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director ensures compliance with Veterans Health Administration staffing requirements for areas identified as high-risk, such as the inpatient mental health unit, and monitors compliance.

The Under Secretary for Health evaluates the Veterans Health Administration written guidance for high-risk workplace staffing and determines if clarification is needed.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director ensures staff that may provide coverage on the inpatient mental health unit receive applicable Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior training for high-risk units.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director strengthens processes to ensure that supervisors are made aware of staff members that have not completed the applicable Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior training for high-risk units, to include the hands-on component, and monitors compliance.

The Under Secretary for Health considers written guidance regarding risk for violence assessment use in units identified as a high-risk workplace that can be used to temporarily change a unit’s acuity level and staffing needs.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director reviews and ensures consistent application of facility nursing leaders’ use of risk for violence assessment on the inpatient mental health unit, and monitors for compliance.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director evaluates the root cause analysis processes regarding reporting of action items and outcome measures in accordance with Veterans Health Administration requirements, takes action as needed, and monitors compliance.

The VA Nebraska—Western Iowa Health Care System Director evaluates processes requesting and reporting changes to authorized and operating beds on the inpatient mental health unit, takes action as needed, and monitors compliance.

The VA Midwest Health Care Network Director strengthens processes to ensure adequate oversight and adherence to Veterans Health Administration requirements pertaining to changes to authorized and operating inpatient mental health unit beds.

The Under Secretary for Health clarifies the requirements for suicide risk and intervention training for audiologists and delineates responsibility for ensuring training is completed as required.

The Under Secretary for Health evaluates the definition of healthcare provider for the purposes of suicide risk and intervention training.

The Under Secretary for Health evaluates the accuracy of suicide risk and intervention training assignment, consistent with Veterans Health Administration policy, for all healthcare providers.

The Under Secretary for Health ensures audiology staff complete suicide risk identification screening as required.

The Under Secretary for Health evaluates oversight of and barriers to mental health integration in audiology services and takes action as appropriate.

The Facility Director ensures regular communication between mental health and executive leaders regarding staffing needs and mental health processes.

The Facility Director ensures the Mental Health Executive Council operates in accordance with Veterans Health Administration requirements.

The Chief of Mental Health ensures a full-time, dedicated local recovery coordinator is integrated into the inpatient mental health unit to support recovery-oriented care.

The Chief of Mental Health ensures mental health leaders develop and implement written processes for staff training, education, and recovery-oriented services.

The Chief of Mental Health ensures staff provide a minimum of four hours of recovery-oriented, interdisciplinary mental health programming on weekdays and weekends.

The Facility Director ensures veterans’ privacy in the communal shower room on the inpatient mental health unit.

The Facility Director ensures clinicians document veterans’ capacity to consent to admission to the inpatient mental health unit.

The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director ensures facilities’ involuntary hold and hospitalization processes align with applicable state laws and develops processes for ongoing oversight.

The Facility Director consults with District Counsel to establish written involuntary hold and hospitalization processes that align with West Virginia State laws and monitors compliance.

The Facility Director develops and implements written care coordination processes for veterans involuntarily admitted to non-VA healthcare facilities.

The Chief of Staff ensures providers document discussions with veterans on the risks and benefits of newly prescribed medications and monitors for compliance.

The Chief of Staff ensures veterans’ discharge instructions are written in easy-to-understand language and include the follow-up appointment location, the purpose of each medication, and an explanation when both trade and generic names are used for the same medication.

The Facility Director ensures staff comply with suicide prevention training requirements and monitors for compliance.

The Facility Director ensures Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team members participate in Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist inspections and document membership and attendance.

The Facility Director ensures the Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team accurately identifies, documents, and addresses safety hazards within the Patient Safety Assessment Tool and monitors for compliance.

The Facility Director directs staff to comply with Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist training requirements and monitors for compliance.

The Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health ensures compliance with Veterans Health Administration requirements for a full-time local recovery coordinator.

The Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health ensures the implementation of written processes for staff training, education, and recovery-oriented services. 

The Facility Director identifies and addresses barriers to communal room access for veterans on the inpatient unit.

The Facility Director ensures accurate reporting of inpatient mental health beds and implements processes to monitor.

The Facility Director formalizes written processes to monitor and track compliance with state involuntary commitment requirements.

The Facility Director ensures staff document veterans’ legal commitment status in the electronic health record and monitors for compliance.

The Chief of Staff ensures documentation of discussions between prescribers and veterans on the risks and benefits of newly prescribed medications and monitors for compliance.

The Chief of Staff ensures discharge instructions for veterans include appointment locations written in easy-to-understand language.

The Chief of Staff ensures discharge instructions for veterans include the purpose for each medication listed and are free of medical abbreviations.

The Chief of Staff directs staff to complete and document the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale within 24 hours before veterans’ discharge and monitors for compliance.

The Chief of Staff directs staff to complete suicide prevention safety plans and provide copies of the plans to veterans or caregivers and monitors for compliance.

The Chief of Staff directs staff to address ways to make veterans’ environments safer from potentially lethal means, beyond firearms and opioids, in safety plans and monitors for compliance.

The Under Secretary for Health identifies barriers to, and ensures documentation of, discussions specific to making the environment safer from identified lethal means in veterans’ safety plans. 

The Facility Director directs staff to comply with suicide prevention training requirements and monitors for compliance.

The Facility Director ensures compliance with Veterans Health Administration requirements for the Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team, including recording of meeting minutes, membership, and attendance, and monitors for compliance.

The Facility Director implements processes to ensure the Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team applies Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist standards on the inpatient mental health unit and monitors for compliance.

The Facility Director directs inpatient unit staff and Interdisciplinary Safety Inspection Team members to comply with Mental Health Environment of Care Checklist training requirements and monitors for compliance.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director ensures emergency department, mental health, and inpatient medical and nursing staff responsible for suicide risk assessment understand the need to evaluate patients for a personally owned insulin pump and remove the insulin pump prior to inpatient admission, when necessary and monitors for compliance.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director verifies the draft insulin pump policy is finalized, and Lexington VA Healthcare System emergency department, mental health, and inpatient medical and nursing staff are educated on the policy.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director ensures leaders and staff review the Lexington VA Healthcare System policy evaluation and approval procedure.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director verifies that patients receive discharge instructions, with a follow-up care plan when discharged from the Lexington VA Healthcare System emergency department.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director ensures a review of Psychiatrist 2’s documentation in Patient 2’s electronic health record and makes certain documentation is completed according to Veteran Health Administration policy, including that entries are accurate, succinct, without extensive copy and paste, and devoid of derogatory, critical, comments, and takes action as warranted.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director confirms that the patient safety managers understand and apply Veteran Health Administration guidance to accurately use safety assessment codes when scoring a patient safety event.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director verifies that root cause analyses are completed according to Veterans Health Administration policy including interviewing individuals knowledgeable about the event.

The Lexington VA Healthcare System Director ensures peer representation at the Peer Review Committee for psychiatry case reviews.