The following is an excerpt of an article appearing in GovExec.com. A link to the full story appears at the bottom of the excerpt.
A pathologist at the Veterans Affairs Department operated for years with impunity despite suffering from alcoholism, which led to the significant misdiagnoses and the deaths of some patients.
Robert Levy, a doctor at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Ark., for more than a dozen years, has already received a 20-year prison sentence for his actions, but a new report from the VA inspector general found a pattern of failures by facility leadership that enabled him to provide dangerous care for so long. A review of all of Levy’s cases found 3,000 errors, including nearly 600 “major diagnostic discrepancies.” VA has since notified 34 patients or their families of his faulty practices.
In two of his biggest errors, Levy missed cancer spots and diagnosed the wrong type of cancer. Both mistakes led to incorrect treatment and, eventually, the patients’ deaths.
The IG faulted VA for its handling of Levy dating back to his 2005 hiring, noting his prior arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and his short-term tenure at his previous job should have raised more red flags. The facility should have implemented stricter oversight of his cases during his two-year probationary period, the IG said.
(Continued...)
Click on the link below to read the rest of the article:
VA doctor's malpractice responsible for mistreatment and deaths
This is the level of care we have come to expect at the VA. I can give you several PA that are now replacing Dr that are even less qualified then Drs were:). It is a mess. #shut down the VA. Give the money to veterans stop the over valued and way over paid employees that are just hanging on for the pension. Sad really people will do most anything if they are promised something like a pension for life. Judas did that to Jesus.
Yep, it was a PA that failed to give adequate attention to my husband's diagnostic tests and it cost him his kidney function. I guess there weren't enough doctors in the system so they filled in with PAs. HUGE mistake! They are ok for some things, but not for managing chronic illnesses caused by things like Agent-orange.
And it isn't just Physicians.
The staff at the Prosthetic Clinic at the Pensacola VA Clinic are not only incompetent in general but actively fight giving Veterans the care and services they require.
I am currently battling them and will be filing my tenth complaint against them with my Congressional representative. After every complaint, things at the Pensacola Clinic go back to the way they were when they feel that the heat is off.
Nothing changes. As the article says, there is no accountability.
It’s so corrupt 100% Disabled by social security-in an accident and va won’t even acknowledge my disability