Today 7:46 PM ET (Dow Jones)
By Ben Kesling and Erica E. Phillips PHOENIX--Waits to see primary-care doctors in the Phoenix VA Health Care System were lengthy enough to force some patients to seek help at the emergency room, according to a former employee whose allegations are part of an investigation by the VA's inspector general.
Sam Foote, a doctor who retired in 2013 from the Phoenix VA after 24 years, has lodged a number of complaints with the agency's independent inspector general. He has alleged in public appearances and interviews on Thursday and Friday that as many as 40 patients may have died before ever seeing their main doctor.
One of the complaints was received by the inspector general on Oct. 29, and another complaint was dated Feb. 2, according to emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The inspector general won't disclose the content of the complaints it receives.
"The reason for all of this is too many patients and not enough providers," Dr. Foote said in an interview at his home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., on Friday. "It is possible that up to 40 people may have died while waiting for care."
The Phoenix VA, in a statement on its Facebook page, said it "has had longstanding issues with Veterans accessing care and has taken numerous actions to meet demand, while we continue to serve more Veterans and enhance our services." It added that it has been conducting "robust internal reviews" since the allegations came to light.
Thomas Breen, a 71-year-old Navy veteran suffering from bladder cancer, died while waiting for an appointment with a primary-care doctor, said his daughter-in-law, Sally Eliano. She said her father-in-law, always a great supporter of the VA, had been successfully treated for bladder cancer by the VA and fitted for a prosthetic leg after he lost his leg to an infection while living in Brooklyn, N.Y.
He moved in September 2012 to Mesa, Ariz., dogged by his missing leg and a constant infection in his remaining foot, but feeling healthy. "He was vibrant and gained 20 pounds, because I cook amazing," Ms. Eliano said.
He gradually lost his mobility, and in September 2013 he found blood in his urine and was rushed to the VA emergency room in Phoenix. He was treated and released, told the VA would call him to schedule an appointment with a primary-care doctor, Ms. Eliano said. When no call came, she made repeated calls to the VA for scheduling but didn't get an appointment, she said. "We called repeatedly, left messages," she said.
In mid-November, Mr. Breen went to a non-VA emergency room, was treated and eventually died at a hospice facility at the end of the month from the cancer, having never gotten the VA appointment, Ms. Eliano said. She added that a few days later, the VA called to schedule the appointment, unaware that Mr. Breen had died.
On Friday, a VA spokesman didn't make a Phoenix VA representative available for comment.
At a hearing on April 9, Rep. Jeff Miller (R., Fla.), chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said that his panel had received information that veterans were placed on nonofficial waiting lists and only placed on official lists once an appointment became available. The practice would make wait times appear in records to be shorter than they actually were.
"Our committee has turned over all of the evidence we've acquired through our investigation to VA's inspector general," said a committee spokesman in an email. "On the advice of the IG, to protect the integrity of the investigation, we will not be sharing this evidence with any outside parties."
The inspector general, which has said it stepped up its inquiry after the April 9 hearing, will consider all information that might be related to a review, said Catherine Gromek, spokeswoman for the inspector general. "We are not going to sacrifice thoroughness or quality for a quick turnaround," she said.
In March 2013, the Government Accountability Office found the VA's reported wait times to be "unreliable." The report said: "Some schedulers at VA medical centers that GAO visited did not record the desired date correctly, which, in certain cases, would have resulted in a reported wait time that was shorter than the patient actually experienced for that appointment." The VA subsequently said it would take steps to address the issue.
The VA has said it sent a team to review appointment-scheduling procedures in Phoenix. "These allegations, if true, are absolutely unacceptable, and if the inspector general's investigation substantiates these claims, VA will take swift and appropriate action," the VA said in a statement Friday.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 25, 2014 19:46 ET (23:46 GMT)
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