Atlanta VA officials say they don’t know why the Atlanta hospital was flagged for additional investigation as the agency probes long wait times and possible manipulation of records.
But they said they’re eager to resolve any problems that stand in the way of fulfilling their mission.
“Atlanta’s leadership team welcomes the additional assessment to ensure that all veterans receive timely access to high quality care and to strengthen any areas that may need improvement,” facility spokesman Greg Kendall said in a prepared statement.
Atlanta’s hospital is among five VA facilities in Georgia and another 107 nationwide that will get further scrutiny, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Among the issues investigators will address is the possibility of “willful misconduct” on the part of some schedulers and managers, according to an audit released Monday. Schedulers at a number of VA sites told auditors they were directed to falsify scheduling records to obscure how long thousands of veterans have waited for care.
Read the full story, including what the audit revealed about wait times at Georgia VA facilities, only on MyAjc.com.
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