Report Summary

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report provides a focused evaluation of Veterans Health Administration facilities’ selected Women’s Health (WH) program requirements. This evaluation focused on provision of care requirements, oversight of program and monitoring of performance improvement data, and assignment of required staff.

This report describes WH-related findings from healthcare inspections initiated at 36 Veterans Health Administration medical facilities from November 4, 2019, through September 21, 2020. Each inspection involved interviews with facility leaders and staff and reviews of clinical and administrative processes. The OIG reviewers evaluated meeting minutes and other relevant documents. The results in this report are a snapshot of Veterans Health Administration performance at the time of the fiscal year 2020 OIG reviews.

The OIG found general compliance with many of the selected requirements. However, the OIG identified weaknesses with:

• provision of 24/7 gynecologic care coverage,

• assignment of at least two women’s health primary care providers for each community-based outpatient clinic,

• women veterans health committee core members and reporting to clinical executive leaders,

• assignment of a full-time women veterans program manager who is free of collateral duties, and

• designation of maternity care coordinators.