Cancellations Of More Than 250,000 Radiology Orders At VA Hospitals Raise Questions
The cancellations seem to be part of an effort to clear outdated or duplicate orders, but there are concerns that some medically necessary orders for CT scans and other imaging tests were canceled improperly.
USA Today:
‘I Knew Something Was Not Right’: Mass Cancellations Of Diagnostic Test Orders At VA Hospitals Draw Scrutiny
Radiology technologist Jeff Dettbarn said he knew something was wrong at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa City, Iowa, when a patient arrived in February 2017 for a CT scan, but the doctor’s order for it had been cancelled. “To have a patient show up for a scan and not have an order – you’re like, ‘What the heck is going on?’” he told USA TODAY in an interview. ... Cancellations of more than 250,000 radiology orders at VA hospitals across the country since 2016 have raised questions about whether – in a rush to clear out outdated and duplicate diagnostic orders – some facilities failed to follow correct procedures. At issue is a concern over whether some medically necessary orders for CT scans and other imaging tests were canceled improperly. (Slack, 10/1)
In other veterans' health care news —
MPR:
Marine Corps Veteran's Family Wants VA To Learn From His Suicide
The suicide of Marine Corps veteran Justin Miller earlier this year prompted a federal review of the Minneapolis VA system. The final report released last week criticizes a communications breakdown at the VA. Meanwhile, Miller's family is still wondering what happened to him, and why he didn't get the help he needed. (Enger, 10/2)
