VA Biloxi violates policies

BILOXI, Miss. - Federal inspectors found that the VA hospital in Biloxi, Miss., was in violation of several policies, according to a report filed last week by the VA's Office's Inspector General office, which said the Biloxi hospital hired a thoracic surgeon in 2013 who lacked proper credentials. The 53-page report says leaders made the hire despite being aware of licensure and malpractice issues. The surgeon resigned in December 2017, but Biloxi VA leadership did not follow procedures, such as notifying external reporting agencies. The federal review additionally found several physician files lacked evaluations needed to grant privileges. VA Acting Public Affairs Officer Cindy Dorfner says the facility has made improvements and the Gulf Coast VA Health Care System has taken action on all 18 of the OIG's recommendations, according to The Associated Press. Those recommendations were not mentioned in The AP story.