Healthcare Inspection Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in VA Hospitals

The Office of Inspector General evaluated the extent to which Veterans Health Administration (VHA) implements measures proven to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients. VTE includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg or pelvis, and pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot propagated to the lungs. We found that 63 percent of at-risk patients received recommended interventions, a rate similar to that at non-VA hospitals. Among patients who had PE while hospitalized, 17 percent received no preventive care before the event. Rates of appropriate care were similar at teaching and non-teaching hospitals. We recommended that VHA develop and implement a plan to ensure that hospitalized patients at risk for VTE receive accepted preventive therapies, and monitor rates of preventable VTE outcomes.