Healthcare Inspection – Podiatry Clinic Staffing Issues and Delays in Care, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System, Montgomery, Alabama

OIG conducted a review at the request of Senator Jeff Sessions to assess allegations concerning Podiatry Clinic staffing issues and delays in care at the Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System in Montgomery, AL. The complainant alleged that: The Podiatry Clinic located at Maxwell Air Force Base had an insufficient number of trained clerical staff; New referrals and appointment scheduling were delayed due to a lack of trained clerical staff. We substantiated the allegation that the clinic lacked a sufficient number of trained clerical staff, which resulted in delays processing new referrals and scheduling appointments. However, these delays appeared to be related to the frequent leave and subsequent retirement of the assigned trained clerk and the lack of access to the Department of Defense’s TRICARE® system for the clerks covering the clinic during these absences. The facility addressed this gap by taking actions to ensure that the clinic was staffed with a properly trained clerk on an interim and permanent basis, with access to the TRICARE® system. We conducted a review of the timeframes for scheduled appointments after the reassignment of a trained clerk and found that Veterans Health Administration and Department of Defense patients were generally scheduled within the required 7 days. We made no recommendations.