Alleged Deficiencies in the Management of Staff Exposure to a Patient with COVID-19 at the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon

Inspection / Evaluation · Department of Veterans Affairs OIG · 2020-08-27 · about Department of Veterans Affairs

Summary

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection to determine the validity of allegations related to the management of staff exposure to a patient diagnosed with COVID-19 at the VA Portland Medical Center (facility) in Oregon. The events under review involved the facility’s first patient diagnosed with COVID-19. The OIG did not substantiate that emergency department staff failed to notify imaging department staff that a patient was suspected to have COVID-19 before sending the patient to the imaging department.

Recommendations (5)

#	Status	Text
1	Closed	The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that a consistent notification process is implemented and monitored to ensure the sending department notifies the receiving department of a patient’s potential infectious disease status prior to…
2	Closed	The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that the standard process for contact tracing for staff exposure to high-consequence infections such as COVID-19 includes a process for identification of potentially exposed staff who cannot be…
3	Closed	The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that standard processes for assessment of staff exposure to high-consequence infections such as COVID-19, including a process for validation of supervisors’ initial risk categorizations, are…
4	Closed	The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that standard processes are implemented and monitored for tracking staff exposure, providing guidance on self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and returning to work, and documenting Employee Health…
5	Closed	The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures facility policies are reviewed and updated to include a detailed staff exposure management process to leverage lessons learned from the current pandemic response and to enhance preparedness for…

Status

Text

Closed

The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that a consistent notification process is implemented and monitored to ensure the sending department notifies the receiving department of a patient’s potential infectious disease status prior to…

Closed

The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that the standard process for contact tracing for staff exposure to high-consequence infections such as COVID-19 includes a process for identification of potentially exposed staff who cannot be…

Closed

The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that standard processes for assessment of staff exposure to high-consequence infections such as COVID-19, including a process for validation of supervisors’ initial risk categorizations, are…

Closed

The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures that standard processes are implemented and monitored for tracking staff exposure, providing guidance on self-monitoring, self-quarantine, and returning to work, and documenting Employee Health…

Closed

The Portland VA Health Care System Director ensures facility policies are reviewed and updated to include a detailed staff exposure management process to leverage lessons learned from the current pandemic response and to enhance preparedness for…

Report

Summary

Recommendations (5)

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