Back in July this
blog covered the investigation of the Office of the Medical Inspector
for Veterans Affairs into a Fort Collins VA outpatient clinic for
medical malpractice (see Fort
Collins VA Clinic Under Fire for Falsifying Medical Records, Delaying
Treatment). Clerks at the clinic were allegedly instructed to
falsify appointment records to make it appear that patients were seen
within the agency’s timeline goal of 14 days, when in reality
patients had to wait several months to be seen by a doctor.
Since our post in
July, more than 400 claims have been filed against the VA for
providing substandard healthcare and committing medical malpractice
through unreasonable delays and serious medical errors. Close to $15
million in damages has already been awarded to Colorado veterans
based on lawsuits filed.
Examples of medical
malpractice revealed by VA documents include:
- Wrongful removal of a patient’s prostrate due to a mix-up of patient records
- Failure to diagnose and treat a retinal detachment in a timely manner, resulting in the loss of vision to a patient’s right eye
- Surgical clamp left inside patient’s chest after triple bypass surgery
- Improperly performed penile prostheses operation, resulting in severe pain
- Improper intubation before surgery, leading to a lack of oxygen and permanent brain damage
