Dive Brief:
- The chief medical inspector for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs has retired after a report that his office downplayed whistleblower complaints about the VA's troubled healthcare system, the VA said July 2.
- Dr. John R. Pierce had been the system's medical inspector since 2004. His office came under scrutiny after the independent Office of Special Counsel issued a scathing report in late June that identified "a troubling pattern of deficient patient care" at VA facilities nationwide, and noted that higher-ups had downplayed the flood of complaints.
- A departmental review of the special counsel's report is due by July 7.
Dive Insight:
Pierce is among a half-dozen high-ranking officials who have resigned or retired from the VA following public disclosure of numerous problems within its national healthcare system, including reports of patient deaths, widespread treatment delays and falsified records. Since VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned in late May, several other officials have resigned, including VA's top health official and the person who replaced him as acting undersecretary for health. VA's general counsel and assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs also left recently.
On June 30, President Obama nominated former Procter & Gamble CEO Robert McDonald to be VA secretary. If Obama's unorthodox pick is confirmed, McDonald has his work cut out for him amid the VA's management purge and sharp ongoing scrutiny of the system by Congress and others.
