Becker's Hospital Review

95 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Former nursing aide sentenced for 8 patient deaths at VA facility with 'serious, pervasive' issues By Gabrielle Masson R eta Mays, a former nursing assistant, was sentenced May 11 for murder and assault charges in the deaths of eight veterans at Clarksburg, W.Va.-based Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center. Ms. Mays, 46, received seven consecutive life sentences, one for each murder, and an addi- tional 240 months for an eighth victim, ac- cording to a news release from U.S. Attorney Randolph Bernard. In July, the former nursing assistant pleaded guilty to seven counts of second-degree mur- der and one count of assault with intent to commit murder. Ms. Mays worked the night shi during the same period of time that the veterans in her care died of hypoglycemia. Ms. Mays has admitted to administering insulin to several patients with the intent to cause their deaths, though nursing assistants at the facili- ty aren't authorized to administer medication. Ms. Mays must pay a total of $172,624.96 to the victims' families, the VA Hospital, Medi- care and insurance companies. "While responsibility for these heinous criminal acts lies with Reta Mays, an ex- tensive healthcare inspection by our office found the facility had serious and pervasive clinical and administrative failures that con- tributed to them going undetected," VA In- spector General Michael Missal said in the May 11 news release. is investigation, which began in June 2018, involved more than 300 interviews; the review of medical, phone, social media and computer records; consulting forensic experts and endocrinologists; the exhuma- tion of some of the victims; and the review of hospital staff and visitor records to assess potential interactions. "e Department of Veterans Affairs and the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center grieves the loss of each of these Veterans and extends our deepest condolences to their families, loved ones and the Clarksburg communi- ty," Wesley Walls, a spokesperson for Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, said in an emailed statement to Becker's. "For the sake of all of West Virginia Veterans and their families, we are grateful for the independent OIG's investigation into this matter. What happened at the Louis A. Johnson VA Med- ical Center was heartbreaking, and we want to ensure veterans and families know we are determined to rebuild their trust. "While this matter involving an isolated em- ployee does not represent the quality health- care tens of thousands of North Central West Virginia Veterans have come to expect from our facility, it has prompted a number of improvements that will strengthen our continuity of care and prevent similar issues from happening in the future. Also, while we cannot bring back loved ones lost, VA has reached financial settlements with over a half dozen families of veteran victims via the Federal Tort Claims Act. "e VA OIG Report focuses on events that occurred from July 2017 to June 2018. During the OIG investigation, VA put in place safeguards to enhance patient safety, including medical chart audits, checks and balances within pharmacy quality assurance processes and quality management reviews. e Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center has started implementing each of the OIG's recommendations, which are expected to be completed by March 31, 2022." Mr. Walls included numerous other initiatives the facility has already im- plemented, including patient care, ed- ucation, standardization and tracking, lead- ership and culture, and overall enterprise processes improvements. n 68% of patients with mild case of COVID-19 get new diagnosis within 6 months, CDC finds By Erica Carbajal T wo-thirds of nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients had at least one outpatient visit that resulted in a new diagnosis within six months of being diag- nosed with the virus, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published April 30. The study, conducted by the CDC and Kaiser Permanente Georgia, involved 3,171 COVID-19 patients who did not re- quire hospitalization within the first 28 days of their diagnosis. Findings showed 69 percent of the study group had at least one outpatient visit between 28 and 180 days after their coronavirus diagnosis. Of those, 68 percent received a new primary diagnosis such as a cough, shortness of breath, chest or throat pain and fatigue, "which likely rep- resent ongoing COVID-19 symptoms," the report said. COVID-19 was recorded as an active diagnosis for 210 of the 2,177 patients with one or more outpatients visits. Adults aged 65 and older, women, Black adults, and those with underlying health conditions made up a high propor- tion of outpatient visits. Researchers also found 38 percent of patients who sought medical care saw a new specialist, including cardiology, be- havioral/mental health, and pulmonology, among others. "Raising awareness among patients, clinicians, and health systems about common new diagnoses and health needs, including specialist evaluation, after acute SARS-CoV-2 in- fection is important to understand the long-term effects of the illness." n

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