Webb visits VA medical center after receiving complaints

HAMPTON

U.S. Sen. Jim Webb made his first visit Friday to the Hampton VA Medical Center, where he praised the dedication of health care workers but said he is still following the incomplete investigations of many patient complaints.

In the fall, Webb asked the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to examine the quality of care at the Hampton facility after his office had received 149 complaints, including allegations that ranged from abusive patient treatment to wrongful death.

"We have disposed a number of those and there are others we're still looking at," said Webb, who declined to discuss the specifics of the complaints. "Any time anybody contacts us, we're going to take it very seriously." He made the remarks after touring the Hampton hospital with his staff.

Webb said his office has received several new complaints since writing to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki about the allegations by patients or their families.

The Virginia Democrat said his staff was briefed this week about the findings of an internal VA peer investigation - known as a System Wide Ongoing Assessment and Review Strategy, or SOARS - that was initiated by his complaint and was completed last month.

The SOARS probe was a "thorough investigation" that led to development of an action plan for the hospital, Webb said. He declined to elaborate.

When asked whether his views about care at the Hampton hospital have changed since he wrote his letter in October, Webb said, "I know there can be difficulties in the administration of care. But I have never made a blanket allegation about the lack of leadership at this facility."

Webb said he also wanted to stress that he thinks people "are working very hard" to care for veterans. "That's a totally separate issue from whether or not there might be individual complaints."

The Hampton center was criticized in two inspector general reports in September 2009 and September 2008. The 2008 report found that the center wasn't in compliance with VA policies and guidelines, citing problems that included improperly maintained "clean rooms" where sterile intravenous medications are prepared. The 2009 report found that a patient was permanently disabled after a doctor failed to properly diagnose a stroke.

The hospital, with a staff of about 1,600, handles an estimated 400,000 outpatient visits a year.

Earlier Friday, Webb told more than 300 military officers at the Joint Forces Staff College that the current health care overhaul being considered by Congress won't affect Tricare, the health care system for members of the military and their families, or veterans' health care.

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com