Healthcare Inspection – Alleged Surgical Care Issues, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida

OIG conducted an inspection in response to allegations concerning the Surgical Service at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center (the facility), Gainesville, FL. The facility is part of the North Florida/South Georgia VA Healthcare System in Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 8. We did not substantiate that a cardiopulmonary resuscitation event in the operating room was not handled appropriately. We did not substantiate that surgeons were not allowed to perform a certain procedure in the operating room so that surgical mortality data would be lower. We also did not substantiate that patients deemed at high risk of mortality were sent to a local hospital so that if these patients died, the deaths would not count against the facility’s surgical mortality data. We noted that a team from VISN 8 completed a site visit to the facility in 2013 and made recommendations to strengthen the facility’s surgical program. The facility developed and completed action plans based on these recommendations. We made no recommendations.