VAOIG Inspection of Endoscopy Reprocessing at Veterans Health Administration Facilities

Healthcare Inspection Follow-Up Colonoscope Reprocessing at VA Medical Facilities 09/17/09. This inspection of endoscopy reprocessing at Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilities is a follow-up of OIG’s initial report, Use and Reprocessing of Flexible Fiberoptic Endoscopes at VA Medical Facilities, Report No. 09-01784-146, published June 16, 2009. It provides results for all facilities not previously inspected and provides follow-up results for facilities previously found to be not compliant with VHA Directive 2009-004, Use and Reprocessing of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME) in Veterans Health Administration Facilities, issued February 9, 2009. Among the 129 facilities inspected in August, all 129 were compliant with respect to SOPs. All facilities had adequate documentation of demonstrated competence for reprocessing staff except for one.

In our initial report, we recommended that the Acting Under Secretary for Health ensure compliance with relevant directives regarding endoscope reprocessing, explore possibilities for improving the reliability of endoscope reprocessing with VA and non-VA experts, and review the VHA organizational structure and make the necessary changes to implement quality controls and ensure compliance with directives. The Acting Under Secretary for Health concurred with the recommendations and provided a plan of corrective action. OIG will follow up on actions until all recommendations have been fully implemented. VAOIG