Nation’s Worst Facilities Remain Unchanged in 2017 VA Hospital Ratings

Legal Help for Veterans is a law firm helping veterans get the benefits they deserve.

Northville, MI (Law Firm Newswire) December 21, 2017 – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released a list of hospital rankings for 2017. The majority of the country’s worst-rated facilities from last year showed no improvement in the latest internal rankings. The agency said overall 64 percent of hospitals improved from their 2016 baseline scores.

Fourteen medical facilities that scored one out of five stars in this year’s report earned the same low quality ratings in 2016. The Phoenix VA hospital was listed among the worst-ranked. The hospital was at the center of a 2014 nationwide wait times scandal in which veterans died waiting for medical appointments.

“The VA’s release of the hospital rankings is in line with the agency’s recent promises to maintain a commitment to transparency and accountability,” commented Jim Fausone, a Michigan veterans attorney. “However, it raises questions as to why the one-star facilities are not improving and what needs to be done in order to ensure all veterans receive quality health care and treatment in a timely manner.”

Also among the veterans hospitals that received two consecutive years of one-star ratings were two facilities in California, two in Texas and three in Tennessee. Threats to patient safety have skyrocketed at the Tennessee facility in recent years.

Only two VA medical centers on the list managed to improve their one-star scores. Hospitals in Detroit, Michigan and Fayetteville, North Carolina were awarded two stars each this year.

The VA evaluates its 146 medical facilities on a regular basis. They are rated using a scale of one to five stars, with five being the best. Scores are based on various clinical quality factors such as wait times, efficiency, access to health care, number of avoidable complications, infection, death rates and staffing turnover. One-star medical centers can be upgraded to two stars based on quality of care.

The VA press secretary said Secretary David Shulkin has made it a priority to enhance transparency as part of his efforts to improve the department. He added, “That’s why we’re posting these important end-of-year ratings.”

Learn more at http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC
41700 West Six Mile Road, Suite 101
Northville, MI 48168
Toll Free Phone: 800.693.4800

• New VA ID cards available to veterans with honorable discharges
  Veterans seeking an easier way to prove their military service will now be able to apply for a new identification card from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). However, some veterans are upset that the ID cards are available only to service members with honorable discharges. A law passed in 2015 requires the VA to […]
• VA Medical System Concerns Should Caution Veterans
  Jim Fausone, Esq. High quality medical care is something that veterans should be able to rely on. Recently, the Government Accountability Office released findings that should lead veterans to be cautious regarding their medical care. The findings indicate that the VA fails to report 90% of poor-performing doctors to national and state databases. These databases […]
• Artificial intelligence is helping veterans open up about PTSD, say researchers
  A computerized “virtual human” could soon be helping veterans cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to recent research funded by the Department of Defense. University of Southern California (USC) researchers conducted a study using a computerized avatar named Ellie. They found that service members and veterans were three times more likely to disclose their […]
• VA secretary under investigation for taxpayer-funded Europe trip
  The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) inspector general launched a probe into Secretary David Shulkin’s July 10-day Europe trip. Shulkin was criticized for spending significant time on leisure activities like sightseeing and shopping during the taxpayer-funded trip to the United Kingdom and Denmark. Shulkin made the trip so that he could attend a conference on […]