# Care in the Community Consult Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in West Virginia
> **Inspection / Evaluation** by Department of Veterans Affairs OIG · 2022-02-16
> *About: Department of Veterans Affairs*
## Report
- **Title:** Care in the Community Consult Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center in West Virginia
- **Submitting OIG:** Department of Veterans Affairs OIG
- **Component agency:** Department of Veterans Affairs
- **Type:** Inspection / Evaluation
- **Publication date:** 2022-02-16

## Summary

The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted a healthcare inspection at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center (facility) in West Virginia to assess allegations of failure to schedule a Care in the Community (CITC) COVID Priority 1 cardiology consult within Veterans Health Administration requirements, and delays in CITC consult scheduling caused by inadequate CITC staffing.The OIG substantiated that a COVID Priority 1 CITC cardiology consult was not scheduled within 30 days of the clinically indicated date.


## Recommendations

- **Rec 1** (Closed): The Veterans Integrated Service Network Director confirms that weekly calls with facility and Veterans Integrated Service Network leaders are held to discuss active Improvement Action Plans, progress made, timelines, and next steps.
- **Rec 2** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director verifies that Improvement Action Plans, identifying areas of improvement and outlining recommendations, are in place for unmet national Care in the Community performance metrics.
- **Rec 3** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director ensures COVID Priority 1 consults are run and reviewed by Care in the Community managers and staff daily.
- **Rec 4** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director confirms that clinical reviews of COVID Priority 1 active consults are completed and documented, monitors compliance, and takes action as warranted.
- **Rec 5** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director ensures a process is in place to review and address consults for patients who died prior to being scheduled or seen by a community care provider to determine if an adverse event occurred as a result of a…
- **Rec 6** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director evaluates the effectiveness of strategies to manage the backlog of active consults and the use of urgent and emergent to prioritize consults for scheduling, determines if changes in practice are warranted,…
- **Rec 7** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director conducts a review to determine who, outside Care in the Community staff, is facilitating appointment scheduling and evaluates if the scheduling assistance of other services is an effective use of resources,…
- **Rec 8** (Closed): The Martinsburg VA Medical Center Director ensures Care in the Community staffing levels are adequate to support the processing of consults according to time frames set by the Veterans Health Administration.
## Source
- [oversight.gov report page](https://www.oversight.gov/reports/care-community-consult-management-during-covid-19-pandemic-martinsburg-va-medical-center)
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