VA to limit surgeries at some hospitals

[unhappycamper]

VA to limit surgeries at some hospitals
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday May 6, 2010 17:12:38 EDT

In a move that could force some veterans to travel farther for surgery or have their operations at nonveterans hospitals, VA officials are imposing a new grading system on its 112 in-patient treatment facilities that will rank their abilities to do complex, intermediate or standard procedures.

Beginning May 11, no elective surgery will be done at a VA medical center that exceeds the rating, said Dr. William Gunner, the VA’s director of surgery.

Emergency surgery still could be done if required, he said.

The facilities immediately affected will be the medical centers in Alexandria, La.; Beckley, W.Va.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Illiana, Ill.; and Spokane, Wash., all of which received the lowest ranking and have been performing surgeries now judged to be beyond their capabilities.

Gunner began briefing lawmakers about what he called the “surgery complexity initiative” on Thursday, but said in an interview that the grading system has been in use since March, when agreement was reached on how to judge the complexity of a procedure against the surgical capabilities of each medical center.



unhappycamper comment: Fayetteville? Really, Fayetteville? :grr:

[mmonk]

1. Will that mean Fayetteville patients in need of surgery

have to be transferred to Durham?