Administrative Summary–Follow-up to Clinical and Administrative Concerns at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

At the request of Senator Sherrod Brown, the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a follow-up healthcare inspection on clinical and administrative concerns at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center (facility), Ohio, that had been cited previously in reports by the OIG or the Veterans Health Administration’s Office of the Medical Inspector. The storage areas that the OIG team inspected were generally clean, with clean and dirty materials stored separately. Although the facility did not have a written policy or procedure for reporting reusable medical equipment reprocessing errors, an appropriate process, including an electronic tracking system, was in place. At the time of the OIG’s site visit in October 2017, the facility had adequately addressed these issues. The facility’s Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) surveillance and prevention activities appeared to be improving as the facility did not report new infections during the second half of fiscal year 2017. As of late January 2018, the facility was taking reasonable actions to prevent new MRSA infections. The facility has reportedly had difficulty recruiting and retaining Intensive Care Unit nurses because it is unable to meet salaries offered by other healthcare organizations. As of early February 2018, the facility was taking reasonable steps to ensure patient care and safety when Intensive Care Unit nurse staffing was not optimal, and to improve nurse recruitment and retention through pay parity efforts. The OIG made no recommendations.