Inhofe criticizes results of inquiry at VA clinic

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe says he’s skeptical about the findings of a Veterans Affairs investigation of the Ernest Childers Outpatient Clinic in Tulsa.

“The VA Inspector General’s report was largely inconclusive and conflicts with the stories I hear on a regular basis from local veterans and whistleblowers,” Inhofe said in a written statement this week.

“I remain concerned that our state VA facilities have become more focused on protecting their bottom line than actually ensuring veterans are receiving quality, timely care,” he said.

The senior Republican on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Inhofe earlier this year temporarily blocked the range VA policy considers confirmation of Michael acceptable. Missal as the VA’s inspector Inhofe also asked the general because of concerns inspector general to look about Oklahoma’s into allegations that the VA medical facilities. clinic gave some patients

Among other charges, preferential treatment in Inhofe said he had been the scheduling of appointments. told the Tulsa clinic altered and improperly entered records to create the impression that patients are being seen more quickly than they really are.

The VA inspector general’s report, released Wednesday, said some schedulers — known as medical support assistants, or MSAs — entered incorrect “desired dates” if the actual dates were more than 14 days removed from the actual date of an appointment. This was done, MSAs told investigators, to make it appear appointments were being scheduled within the twoweek

Dozens interviewed

The inspector general’s report, which does not include names, says 27 MSAs, four supervisors and two directors of the VA’s eastern Oklahoma facilities were interviewed, and that no evidence could be found to support the allegation of “separate ‘secret’ waiting lists.”

The report says conflicting testimony concerning the entering and altering of records “could not be resolved,” so that no conclusion could be reached regarding that part of the investigation.

Of the 27 MSAs interviewed, 15 said they had never entered dates improperly and were never asked to do so. The other 12 said they believed they were supposed to enter the date of actual appointments in the field for the patients’ preferred date so the clinic would get good scores for short waiting times.

Most of the 12 said they were given lists of patients several years ago and told to change the “preferred dates.”

According to a supervisory staff assistant, one of the 12 became so distraught at a staff meeting on the subject he “banged his head on the table four times … because he was confused.”

The supervisors said they never told MSAs to use incorrect dates. One said she had some dates changed because the original dates were incorrect and would have been easily spotted in an audit.

The supervisor said shortening the Tulsa clinic’s wait times would have been counterproductive because the clinic was trying to get additional medical staff. Short wait times, she said, would have indicated the staff is not needed.

Shortly after, in 2014, Inhofe helped secure $13.2 million to combine the outpatient clinic and a mental health clinic into a new space. That move has not yet occurred.

After Wednesday’s report, Inhofe said he intends to pursue “new investigations” of Oklahoma’s VA facilities.

“No instance of manipulating wait times should be tolerated or brushed off,” he said.