The Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a review of six Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs) to determine if VA policies on credentialing and privileging were being properly implemented. A report detailing this review was released this month.
The report shows that staff at the VAMCs studied were inconsistent in meeting credentialing standards. Some of the issues highlighted in the report include: improper verification of state licensure, failure to document physician performance information, and the failure to detect malpractice information that was not disclosed by physicians.
The VA has accepted the findings of the GAO report and has already taken steps to implement improved policies and oversight over the credentialing and privileging processes. Some of these improvements include: updating the VetPro system by September 2012, working with state medical boards to see if they will provide additional information for credentialing and privileging purposes, and amending the current VA policy so that written verification is not required for states that provide information that can be verified online or over the phone.
To read the full report, click here:
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1026.pdf.
No comments:
Post a Comment