(2007-11-08) Va Md Credentialling Mess

The VA's credentialling system (Reputation Management) has generated red flags on 17k out of their 56k Physician-s that require further investigation as to whether they can continue to practice.. On Aug. 10, the surgical director at the Marion facility was notified that the agency's National Surgical Quality Improvement Program had flagged the hospital because of the abnormal number of patient deaths. (HealthCare)

I'd sure like more data. How long ago were those flags generated? What's the turnaround time in investigating people who get flags?

On September 14, the Department of Veterans Affairs suspended all inpatient surgeries at the medical center due to an unusual increase in deaths. Four top hospital officials have been reassigned until an Inspector General investigation is completed. During the investigations, questions have arose about a surgeon, Dr. Jose Veizaga-Mendez, who was allowed to practice medicine at the facility until August 2007 despite having to surrender his license in Massachusetts after numerous cases of malpractice.