Federal Reports

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report provides a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the VA Western New York Healthcare System. The inspection covered key clinical and administrative processes that are associated with promoting quality care. It focused on Leadership and Organizational Risks; COVID-19 Pandemic Readiness and Response; Quality, Safety, and Value; Registered Nurse Credentialing; Medication Management: Remdesivir Use in VHA; Mental Health: Emergency Department and Urgent Care Center Suicide Risk Screening and Evaluation; Care Coordination: Inter-facility Transfers; and High-Risk Processes: Management of Disruptive and Violent Behavior.The healthcare system’s executive leadership team appeared stable, with all positions permanently assigned. Leaders had worked together for about five months, although some had served in their positions for multiple years. Employee survey data revealed opportunities for leaders to improve workplace satisfaction and reduce feelings of moral distress. Patients generally appeared satisfied with their care. The inspection team reviewed accreditation agency findings and disclosures of adverse patient events and did not identify substantial organizational risk factors. However, the OIG identified concerns related to sentinel event identification and reporting. Executive leaders were generally knowledgeable about selected data used in Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning models and should continue to take actions to sustain and improve performance.The OIG issued seven recommendations for improvement in four areas:(1) Leadership and Organizational Risks• Identification and reporting of sentinel events(2) Quality, Safety, and Value• Peer review committee recommendation of improvement actions• Surgical work group attendance(3) Care Coordination• Monitoring and evaluation of inter-facility transfers(4) High-Risk Processes• Disruptive behavior committee meeting attendance• Staff training

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Linda Vista Station, San Diego, CA (Project Number 22-059). The Linda Vista Station is in the California District of the WestPac Area and services ZIP Codes 92108 and 92111. These ZIP Codes serve about 65,493 people and are considered to be urban communities. We judgmentally selected the Linda Vista Station based on the number of stop-the-clock (STC) scans occurring at the delivery unit, rather than at the customer’s delivery address.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Ramona Main Post Office (MPO) in Ramona, CA (Project Number 22-062). The Ramona Main Post Office is in the California 6 District of the WestPac Area and services ZIP Code 92065, which serves about 35,349 people and is considered to be an urban community. We judgmentally selected the Ramona MPO based on the number of stop-the-clock (STC) scans occurring at the delivery unit, rather than at the customer’s delivery address.

This interim report presents the results of our self-initiated audit of mail delivery, customer service, and property conditions at the Downtown San Diego Station in San Diego, CA (Project Number 22-060). The Downtown San Diego Station is in the California District of the WestPac Area. The station services ZIP Code 92101, which serves about 36,785 people and is considered an urban community. We judgmentally selected the Downtown San Diego Station based on the number of stop-the-clock (STC)3 scans occurring at the delivery unit, rather than at the customer’s delivery address.

As required by the Inspector General Act of 1978 (as amended), this Semiannual Report summarizes the activities of the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General for the preceding 6-month period.