Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Veteran Suing VA Hospital Claiming Doctor Left Scalpel In His Body After Surgery
The Associated Press: Army Vet Sues VA Over Scalpel Left In Body After Surgery
An Army veteran who says someone left a scalpel inside him after surgery is suing a veterans affairs hospital. Bridgeport resident Glenford Turner says the scalpel was only discovered years later, after he suffered from long-term abdominal pain. He sued the VA in U.S. District Court last week, seeking unspecified compensatory damages. (1/15)
Boston Globe: VA Surgeon Left Scalpel Inside Patient For Nearly Four Years, Lawsuit Alleges
Glenford Turner, 61, who spent at least 20 years in the Army before being honorably discharged, had his cancerous prostate removed in robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery at VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven Campus, said his lawyer, Joel Faxon. The surgery took about five hours instead of the hour it should have taken, and afterward there was no X-ray performed to ensure that no surgical materials had been left behind — a standard measure after surgery, Faxon said in a phone interview Monday. (Fox, 1/16)
In other veterans' health care news —
Denver Post: Overdue And $1 Billion Over Budget, Aurora VA Hospital Is Still Incomplete And Will Likely Be Understaffed, Document Says
In a matter of weeks, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to announce that it has all but completed construction of a new hospital in Aurora — a major milestone for a project that drew national outrage in 2015 when the agency admitted it was $1 billion over budget. But according to a congressional document obtained by The Denver Post, the Jan. 23 target will be little more than an illusion as the team building the $1.7 billion facility expects to spend several more months finishing hundreds of items on its to-do list. (Matthews, 1/12)
