A veterans clinic serving the Virginia Beach-Norfolk area put diabetes patients at risk, failed to provide results quickly to women it screened for breast cancer and risked compromising patients’ personal information, according to the inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Hampton Roads clinic, one of three investigated by the inspector general, failed to ensure that diabetes patients at high risk of foot amputation got proper care or were properly educated about the risks they faced, the report showed.
The review also found that 13 women screened for breast cancer, including one who had “suspicious results,” were not informed of their test results within the required two-week period.
Clinic officials said new procedures were put in place April 12 to remedy the notification problem.
The same facility also sent unsecured lab samples off to the parent facility in Hampton, risking the public disclosure of patients’ personal information, including their Social Security numbers, the report found.
