Comments on: VA Never Events

By: “Never Event” Occurs at VA Hospital | Linda Gorman | NCPA

“Never Event” Occurs at VA Hospital | Linda Gorman | NCPA — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:23:32 +0000

[...] to Emergency Physicians Monthly, the widow of a patient who fell to his death from the roof of a VA hospital is suing the hospital [...]

By: Richard Watts

Richard Watts — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:58:05 +0000

Government control of health care is an event that should never happen.

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:24:12 +0000

The distinction between OHSU and the VA med center in Portland is somewhat blurred. They are in connected buildings, and the VA operates its emergency room ‘regular business hours only’. After-hours, emergencies are treated at the OHSU ER, and then, if needed, admitted from there directly into the VA hospital, so it is possible this man was admitted to the VA hospital through the OHSU ER by an OHSU ER doc, thus OHSU being named in the suit.

By: Hospital patient falls as “never events”

Hospital patient falls as “never events” — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:37:46 +0000

[...] That’s what the federal government, if not common sense, says. But what if the fall is from the roof? [...]

By: Airedalelover

Airedalelover — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 13:45:09 +0000

But if it is a NEVER event, it didn’t happen, right?
They are defining all kinds of things as ‘never happen’ –

….circling the rabbit hole

By: igloodoc

igloodoc — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 05:06:08 +0000

Probably this is not a problem. All VA hospitals are exempt from EMTALA (And yes, having worked at a hospital ER around the corner from the VA, VA hospitals ARE exempt from EMTALA). So it would seem logical that they are exempt from never events.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 02:36:18 +0000

You’re rarely going to get an accurate distillation of hundreds of pages of records from a 200 word article. That said, OHSU is probably just named initially because it’s unclear who the employer of the physicians actually was. You often can’t get that information without suit being filed and a deposition.

By: An cancer doc

An cancer doc — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:49:03 +0000

The article states that the family is suing OHSU although the death was at the VA. I don’t know if this is till the policy, but 10 years ago, vets/families of vets were not allowed to sue the VA unless they had been through arbitration first, which markedly reduced the number of suits brought against the VA. I am assuming that policy is still in effect and is the reason for suing OHSU.

By: ERP

ERP — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:05:21 +0000

I am confused. The ER doc did not order constant observation in someone who was suicidal? If it was documented that he WAS suicidal by the him , but then he was just sent to the floor, then there is probably some liabilty there. Also, did the psychiatrist see him in the ER? Often they are the ones who order CO’s.