It looks like the VA has a whopper of a credentialing problem on its hands. Officials with the agency admitted to Congress yesterday that about 17,000 of the 56,000 physicians practicing within its health system have triggered "red flags" within its electronic credentialing and privileging system. More importantly, the VA apparently hasn't yet found out whether these physicians should be allowed to keep practicing.
VA officials made this confession during a Congressional hearing, months after it detected on a spike in deaths at the its 115-bed Marion (IL) Medical Center. This summer, several administrators were reassigned, and three surgeons had their privileges limited, in the wake of the discovery.
To learn more about the ongoing investigation:
- read this Modern Healthcare article [1]
Related Articles:
DOD, VA still struggling to share EMR data. FierceHealthIT [2]
VA program slashes MRSA rates. Report [3]
VA to link genetic info to medical records. FierceHealthIT [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.modernhealthcare.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/REG/311060013
[2] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/dod-va-still-struggling-share-emr-data/2007-10-29
[3] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/va-program-slashes-mrsa-infection-rates/2007-02-07
[4] http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/va-to-link-genetic-info-to-medical-records/2007-01-08