By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY ó A federal inspection found that some surgeons at the Salisbury VA hospital performed operations they werenít supposed to, but no patients were harmed as a result.
According to the Sept. 16 report, the VA Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation of the W. G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center.
The office had received a complaint in February that ěsurgeons at the facility were performing operations that they did not have the clinical privileges to performî and ěresidents were not supervised appropriately.î
Both parts of the complaint were verified.
Under Veterans Health Administration (VHA) requirements, clinical privileges are granted by a board of medical leaders based on the personís training and practice information.
The report said four surgeons operated outside their approved privileges between October 2009 and March 2011, but inspectors found no evidence that this led to poor surgical outcomes.
The hospitalís written response said two of the surgeons were suspended until their cases were reviewed and they were cleared for duty.
ěWeíve taken appropriate action, weíve made corrections, and policies are being adhered to,î said Carol Waters, spokeswoman for the Salisbury VA medical center. ěThere are no further gaps in resident supervision or surgical practices outside their privileges.î
Inspectors found that residents werenít always supervised as required by VHA policy. There was no surgeon on site two days per week , the report said, while residents were seeing patients in the clinic.
According to the report, the only full-time specialty surgeon on staff had been on extended leave for several months. One part-time surgeon is only at the hospital for one half-day per month, and the remaining two part-time surgeons work only three days per week.
ěBecause of a lot of staffing issues, unplanned vacancies, turnover and deployment of our staff, management failed to provide necessary oversight in that area,î Waters said.
In its written response, the hospital said that a full-time surgeon who was on military leave has returned to work and has been supervising residents in the clinic since July 6.
If a supervising attending physician isnít available in the future, the hospital said, patients will be reassigned or clinics will be cancelled, depending on urgency.
Waters said the hospital is always looking for ways to improve, and inspections like this one provide needed accountability.
ěOur primary mission is to ensure that veterans receive the highest care possible,î she said. ěThe most important thing is that no veterans suffered negative care from this.î
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
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