The VA has announced plans to restructure its Office of Medical Inspector following concerns raised by the Office of Special Counsel regarding how the VA has handled whistleblowers and their allegations.
Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner sent a letter to President Obama recently concluding that OMIconsistently uses a “harmless error” defense where it acknowledges problems but claims patient care goes unaffected. The letter said this dismissive approach has helped perpetuate systemic and longstanding problems at the department.
After an internal VA review of OMI, acting VA secretary Sloan Gibson determined to revise the policies, procedures, and personnel structure by which OMI operates, and has directed a restructuring of the organization, the VA announced.
The department named former Navy medical officer Gerard Cox as the interim director of OMI to assist with transition. Cox has been serving as undersecretary for health policy and services in the VHA.
The VA said it would also suspend OMI’s hotline and refer all hotline calls to inspector general while long-term restructuring gets underway.
