A Bay County clinic escaped additional scrutiny after a nationwide audit of the Veterans Affairs healthcare system revealed widespread misconduct, but a VA official with said Tuesday he doesn’t believe there has been misconduct at other regional facilities, despite reports indicating otherwise.
On Monday, the VA inspector general stated auditors found evidence indicating “suspected willful misconduct” at four of the five facilities that serve Northwest Florida veterans, including locations outside Eglin Air Force Base and in Pensacola.
The Panama City Outpatient Clinic at Naval Support Activity Panama City was the only facility that was not flagged for further review in the Gulf Coast system, which serves more than 56,000 veterans. The other facilities have been flagged for further investigation.
“I feel confident there will be no findings of misconduct in our system,” said Thomas Brown, associate chief of staff for ambulatory care for the Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System. “I’m not sure that (what the report says) is true.”
He noted that during auditors’ debriefings they did not mention finding any misconduct.
System officials have not yet been made aware of the reasons their facilities were flagged, he said, though they expect more information soon.
Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, voted Tuesday in favor of the Veterans’ Access to Health Care Act, which will provide immediate access to private-sector health care to veterans facing long waits for care in the VA system. The bill passed the House unanimously.
“This Administration’s failure to care for our nation’s heroes is an absolute shame. With over 57,000 veterans waiting 90 days or more to receive their initial VA appointment, immediate action was needed,” Southerland said in a statement released after the vote. “I am proud to join my colleagues in unanimously passing this legislation to provide our veterans with the timely, quality health care they deserve. While further action is needed to hold the VA accountable, I urge the Senate to join us in our efforts to provide veterans with immediate access to private-sector health care.”
The audit comes on the heels of growing furor over evidence that staff across the VA system have been trying to cover up how long patients are waiting for medical care.
Investigators found 112 facilities where evidence indicated either staff members were using “undesired” scheduling practices or staffs reported receiving instructions to modify scheduling dates.
That includes the clinics outside the gates of Eglin, in Pensacola and in Mobile, Ala., and the hospital in Biloxi, Miss.
Congressman Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said the VA has been clear that inclusion on the list of flagged facilities does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing.
“I am hopeful that the issues that are systemic throughout the country do not in fact happen in Pensacola or at Eglin,” Miller said.
He said he will await more information about what the auditors found at the local facilities and the results of further investigation to determine what changes need to be made locally.
Nationwide though, he believes criminal charges are warranted in some cases.
The VA reported to his committee Monday the recent deaths of at least 23 veterans have been linked to delays in VA care.