Healthcare Inspection Quality of Care Issues Huntington VA Medical Center Huntington, West Virginia

We conducted this inspection to review allegations that a patient was prematurely discharged, improperly monitored and treated, and assaulted by staff; and that medical staff failed to communicate with the patient’s family. We found that the patient had an uncomplicated recovery post-operatively and was appropriately discharged from the ICU to a medical-surgical unit. The medical-surgical unit staff appropriately monitored vital signs and clinical status. We did not find evidence that the patient was assaulted. We did not substantiate that the physicians were uncooperative in providing information or that staff intentionally withheld information from the patient’s family. However, at times the information provided was conflicted and sporadic, resulting in family frustration and mistrust of facility and staff. Initiating a palliative care consult would have been appropriate. We recommended that management require that all physicians review existing palliative care policies to ensure that a palliative care consult is initiated whenever indicated.