Officials with the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Ark., launched an investigation June 18 after a pathologist was found to have misdiagnosed patients while "impaired" — resulting in at least one death, according to KFSM.
Four things to know:
1. A Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks pathologist was found to be "impaired" on March 22, 2016, according to Kelvin Parks, interim director for the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville. The hospital immediately removed the pathologist from clinical care. Due to the ongoing investigation, Mr. Parks could not comment on the nature of the impairment or whether the pathologist would face criminal charges.
2. The pathologist was reinstated in October 2016, after a "successful completion of the program" and implementation of a monitoring program, Mr. Parks said. But one year later, in October 2017, the pathologist was suspended again after reports of possible impairment. After these accusations, Mr. Parks said another investigation determined the pathologist was deemed "unsafe to work" and was subsequently fired.
3. The pathologist saw 19,794 patients, Mr. Parks said. The VA now is sending letters to each of these patients or to their family members. An internal review has revealed seven cases of misdiagnosis by the pathologist so far, Mr. Parks said. One of those cases may have resulted in a patient's death, according to Mr. Parks. "We have already notified five of those that have been affected, and the remaining two will be notified by [June 19]," he said.
4. The VA is now using independent reviewers to investigate all cases related to the pathologist, and the VA has strengthened internal controls to ensure they can more quickly address any errors, according to Mr. Parks.