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Bay Pines cleared of misconduct

The inspector general praised the VA medical center after an inquiry.

By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published June 13, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG — An investigation into claims of corrupt and incompetent management at Bay Pines VA Medical Center has found no evidence of wrongdoing.

In fact, the inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs says Bay Pines is better managed today than it was in 2004, when investigators substantiated charges of mismanagement and poor patient care.

In the past two years, the workload at Bay Pines has increased, but more doctors and nurses have been hired, and employee and patient satisfaction is up, the inspector general said in a 36-page report released Monday.

“We found no evidence that executive managers were corrupt, dishonest, or incompetent,” the report said. “We found these managers to be experienced, knowledgeable, and responsive.”

After multiple federal inquiries of Bay Pines in 2004, including a series of congressional hearings, then-VA Secretary Anthony Principi ordered a shake-up of hospital management.

In March, investigators conducted a new inquiry to determine whether management had improved and recommendations by the inspector general had been implemented.

Investigators also reviewed anonymous charges of corruption and incompetence within management, and a claim that a $20-million budget deficit was hurting patient care. Those allegations were reported by the Times in February.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson and Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, subsequently requested an investigation.

Investigators discovered some problems at Bay Pines.

Mammograms, for example, were not interpreted in a timely manner, and managers did not properly monitor radiology productivity. Also, peer reviews did not follow hospital policy, and employees of a private computer contractor did not have background checks or security clearances.

“During the course of our review, numerous complainants made allegations of poor patient care practices and adverse outcomes, mismanagement, and questionable personnel practices,” the report said.

“We followed up on and closed 12 complaints with no further action needed. We did not address allegations related to personnel issues as they are more appropriately handled by Human Resource Management Service.”

Mostly, investigators gave administrators a pat on the back.

Patient and employee surveys revealed higher levels of satisfaction than in 2004, the report said. Bay Pines also made progress in meeting or exceeding clinical performance measures from the Veterans Health Administration.

The hospital significantly exceeded national averages in obtaining timely appointments for established and new patients, investigators said.

“Overall,” the report said, “it is our opinion that conditions have substantially improved’’ since March 2004.

In a statement Tuesday, Nelson said VA medical facilities are expected to operate effectively and efficiently.

“More veterans than ever depend on the VA for their health care, and funding levels are chronically short,” he said.

“We must keep a constant eye on VA hospitals as large and complex as Bay Pines, and I will continue to do so.”

Paul de la Garza can be reached at delagarza@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3432.

[Last modified June 25, 2006, 11:32:48]