Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Report: VA Hospital Physician 'Contributed' To Patient's Decline, Death
The physician who expressed indifference to the veteran's condition was a contract worker at Washington, D.C.'s VA Medical Center鈥檚 emergency room.
An internal report released Tuesday faulted the Department of Veterans Affairs for the suicide last year of a veteran who had sought treatment through the VA鈥檚 medical center in Washington. The patient visited the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center鈥檚 emergency room early last year complaining of withdrawal symptoms and expressing 鈥渟uicidal ideation,鈥 according to the report by the VA Office of Inspector General. Following a disagreement over the patient鈥檚 admittance, one VA physician, according to the report, said that 鈥淸the patient] can go shoot [themselves]. I do not care.鈥 (Forrest, 7/28)
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