Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Healthcare Inspection Service Delivery and Follow-up After a Patient’s Suicide Attempt Minneapolis VA Health Care System Minneapolis, Minnesota Report No. 12-01760-230 July 19, 2012 VA Office of Inspector General Washington, DC 20420 To Report Suspected Wrongdoing in VA Programs and Operations: Telephone: 1-800-488-8244 E-Mail:
[email protected] (Hotline Information: http://www.va.gov/oig/hotline/default.asp) Service Delivery and Follow-up After a Patient’s Suicide Attempt, Minneapolis VA HCS, Minneapolis, MN Executive Summary The VA Office of Inspector General Office of Healthcare Inspections conducted a review at the request of Congressman Tim Walz regarding alleged improper medication management and discharge planning practices at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (the facility) in Minneapolis, MN. We did not substantiate the complainant’s allegations that a change in medication contributed to her husband’s death by suicide, that managers improperly tried to “commit” him to a Veterans Home, or that staff told her she was not her husband’s power of attorney (POA). Medical record documentation reflects that the patient’s medication had not been changed. His chronic depression was attributed to his medical and mental health conditions and to his substantial psychosocial stressors. Further, the medical record does not support the allegations related to the Veterans Home or POA. We found, however, that the Suicide Prevention Coordinator did not participate in the evaluation and ongoing monitoring of the patient, and the treatment team did not complete a suicide risk assessment at the time of the patient’s discharge in February.