This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the inpatient and outpatient care provided at the Iowa City VA Health Care System, which includes the Iowa City VA Medical Center and multiple outpatient clinics in Illinois and Iowa.This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (emergency department and urgent care center suicide prevention initiatives)The OIG issued six recommendations for improvement in four areas:1. Leadership and Organizational Risks• Institutional disclosures for sentinel events2. Quality, Safety, and Value• Adverse event investigations3. Medical Staff Privileging• Service-specific criteria in Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations• Practitioners with equivalent specialized training and similar privileges complete Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations4. Environment of Care• Patient areas are clean, safe, and suitable• Panic alarm testing
Iowa City, IA
United States
