Better Guidelines Could Reduce VA's Planned Construction of Costly Operating Rooms
HRD-81-54
Published: Mar 03, 1981. Publicly Released: Mar 03, 1981.
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Highlights
The Veterans Administration (VA) is planning to spend more than $1 billion to replace 10 of its medical centers. Each replacement center will have a surgical suite, which is among the most costly hospital departments to construct and operate.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress should not approve any funding requests for new or replacement surgical suites in VA centers based solely on room-to-bed ratios, unless the planning is so far along that adjusting the surgical suite(s) planned would not be economically feasible. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
VA repeatedly stated to Congress that it was researching a new model for sizing surgical suites. Refer to GAO report HRD-86-78, April 29, 1986. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Administration | The Administrator of Veterans Affairs should direct the Chief Medical Director to better use skilled OR nurses by assigning nonprofessional tasks to less skilled personnel. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Veterans Administration | The Administrator of Veterans Affairs should direct the Chief Medical Director to develop staffing guidelines for OR nurses based on the number of operating rooms needed to handle the surgical work load. |
Closed – Implemented
The VA Chief Medical Director has abolished the Staffing Management Program, and this recommendation is considered closed by VA.
|
| Veterans Administration | The Administrator of Veterans Affairs should direct the Chief Medical Director to use operating room estimates obtained from the GAO model, or a similar work load model, to reassess the number of operating rooms needed at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and use such a model for all future construction proposals submitted to Congress. If, in the judgment of VA, more operating rooms are needed than called for by the work load model, the Chief Medical Director should be required to justify the additional rooms. |
Closed – Not Implemented
This was covered in a later GAO report, HRD-86-78.
|
| Veterans Administration | The Administrator of Veterans Affairs should direct the Chief Medical Director to discontinue use of current VA operating room planning criterion in favor of a planning methodology based on surgical work load for new or replacement operating rooms similar to the one developed by GAO, with the aim of achieving an 80-percent operating room utilization level. |
Closed – Not Implemented
This was covered in a later GAO report, HRD-86-78.
|
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Topics
Cost controlGovernment facility constructionHealth care costsHealth care personnelHospital planningStaff utilizationSurgeryVeterans hospitalsNursesHealth centers