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Healthcare Inspection - Review of Solo Physicians’ Professional Practice Evaluations in Veterans Health Administration Facilities

Report Information

Issue Date
Report Number
15-00911-362
VA Office
Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
Report Author
Office of Healthcare Inspections
Report Type
National Healthcare Review
Recommendations
2
Questioned Costs
$0
Better Use of Funds
$0
Congressionally Mandated
No

Summary

Summary
The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a review to assess whether Veterans Health Administration facilities with a solo physician in four selected specialties (gastroenterology, pathology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology) used specialty specific information for professional practice evaluation and had a physician with comparable privileges generate and/or review the professional practice information. Eighteen facilities validated that they had a solo physician in one or more of the four specialties during fiscal year 2014 for a total of 21 physicians. This review covered all affected facilities. We found good compliance with facilities completing general Focused and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation forms. However, each facility is able to select the criteria or monitors they use for professional practice evaluations, and a majority of the information was generic. OIG made two recommendations.

Open Recommendation Image, SquareOpenClosed and Implemented Recommendation Image, CheckmarkClosed-ImplementedNot Implemented Recommendation Image, X character'Closed-Not Implemented
No. 1
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
We recommended that the Interim Under Secretary for Health ensure that gastroenterology, pathology, nuclear medicine, and radiation oncology program offices define specialty specific criteria or monitors for use in Focused and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations and require consistent application across the Veterans Health Administration and that program offices monitor compliance.
No. 2
Closed and Implemented Recommendation Image, Checkmark
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA)
We recommended that the Interim Under Secretary for Health require a process to obtain input for evaluating professional practice from another physician in the same specialty when a physician is the only one of any specialty at a facility and require each Veterans Integrated Service Network to monitor compliance.