Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Secretary Orders Top-To-Bottom Review On VA Hospital Despite Positive Internal Investigation
Boston Globe: Veterans Affairs Secretary Promises “Brand New” Review Of Manchester Hospital
An internal investigation of problems at New Hampshire’s only hospital for veterans recently found “no substantial or specific danger to public health” even though 11 members of the medical staff alleged a wide range of problems, from flies in an operating room to veterans permanently disabled due to neglect. But the top official at the VA on Wednesday pledged to disregard the June report’s conclusions and conduct a new “top-to-bottom review” of conditions at the Manchester VA Medical Center following a Globe Spotlight report describing the whistle-blowers’ charges. (Estes, 7/20)
Concord Monitor: Shaheen: VA Secretary Was Told Months Ago About Manchester Facility
Just days after he placed leaders at the Manchester Veterans Affairs Medical Center on leave, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin is under fire for saying he hadn’t known about complaints of substandard care at the facility. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen sent a letter to then-Manchester VA leader Danielle Ocker in September 2016 – to which Shulkin was copied – regarding “significant concerns with the quality of care provided at the hospital.” (Duffort, 7/19)
In news on another troubled VA facility —
Richmond Times-Dispatch: 'It Was Completely Covered In Feces': McGuire VA Hospital Suffers Contaminated Water Spill
A clogged toilet in a first-floor restroom at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond caused a backup and subsequent leak of contaminated water on Monday that spilled into a basement area where medical instruments are sterilized, a spokesman said. The affected area was evacuated immediately as hospital safety personnel worked to determine the cause of the spill, spokesman Patrick Gordon said in an email release. (Parker, 7/19)
