Healthcare Inspection – Alleged Unsafe Patient Transportation Practices, VA Hudson Valley Health Care System, Montrose, New York

OIG conducted a review in response to allegations of unsafe patient transportation practices. Specifically, the allegations concerned VA sponsored shuttle service between the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System, Montrose, NY, and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY. We did not substantiate a lack of proper supervision of patients who utilized the shuttle program. We also did not substantiate the allegation that patients were at risk for wandering and/or going missing because shuttle drivers drop off vulnerable patients without regard to final destination. While not one of the complainant’s allegations, we found that the locally developed Passenger Fitness Criteria card used as a guide by VA Hudson Valley Health Care System shuttle bus drivers to determine patients’ fitness for traveling was not vetted adequately to ensure that this new requirement was within the drivers’ scope of employment. We recommended that VA Hudson Valley Health Care System Director consult with VA NY/NJ Healthcare Network leadership and Regional Counsel (recently restructured as the Offices of Chief Counsel) regarding the acceptability of shuttle bus drivers’ use of the Passenger Fitness Criteria card.