In its months-long probe of scheduling at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix, the Office of the Inspector General was unable to prove that scheduling delays caused the deaths of nearly 40 veterans, according to a report from NPR.
According to the report, a physician at the Phoenix VA, Samuel Foote, MD, kicked off the VA scandal after reporting that patients died waiting for care at the Phoenix VA. After this revelation, it became clear many other VA hospitals across the country were facing similar issues. The situation eventually ended in the resignation of former VA head Eric Shinseki.
While the OIG has identified scheduling and quality of care problems, it has not been able to link these problems with veteran deaths. Despite this finding, VA leadership considers the delays unacceptable and is working to combat the problem through leadership changes and leveraging the $16 billion in funding approved by Congress to overhaul the VA healthcare system.
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