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WEBVTT PATIENT SAFETY.THIS REPORT, FROM VA OFFICE OFINSPECTOR GENERAL, CAME AFTERNEW COMPLIANTS FILED IN 2015.THE FINDINGS, PUBLISHED TODAIT FOUND INSUFFICENT ACTION WASTAKEN ON RECOMMANDATIONS MAD-- RECOMMENDATIONS MADE BACK IN2013 TO IMPROVE PATIENTSERVICESA SUPRISE TO PATIENTS LIKE RAYDUNMORE, WHO'S HERE FOR ASURGICAL FOLLOWUMR. DUNSMORE: I HAD SEVERALTHINGS TO COME DOWN HERE FORALL THEY DO IS TAKE CARE OF ME.THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB.ADAM: BUT THE REPORT FOUND 46%OF PATIENTS IN THE EMERGENCYDEPARTMENT WAITED MORE THAN 4HOURS FOR A BED AFTER DOCTORSDECIDED TO ADMIT THEWELL ABOVE A 25% STANDARD, FOURTIMES LONGER THAN THE NATIONALAVERAGE.THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF STAY FORADMITTED PATIENTS AND DELAYS INADMISSIONS WERE ALSO MUCH LONGERTHAN PERFORMACE THRESHOLESTABLISHED BY THE VETERANS'ADMINSTRATION.THE DATA WAS COMPILED BETWEENTHE YEARS 2013 AND 2015.IN A STATEMENT TO 11 NEWS, ASPOKESWOMAN FOR THE V.A. WRITES,"AS A RESULT OF THEIMPLEMENTATION OF THE ACTIONPLANS TO ADDRESS THE OIGRECOMMENDATIONS,THE MOST RECENT DATA, COMPAREDTO LAST FISCAL YEAR, SHOWS AMORE THAN 20% DECREASE IPATIENTS WAITING GREATER THAN 4HOURS IN THE EMERGENCYDEPARTMENT BEFORE TRANSFER TO ANINPATIENT BED AT THE BALTIMOREVA MEDICAL CENTER.SHE CONTINUES, "THE VA MARYLANDHEALTH CARE SYSTEM TAKES THE OIGRECOMMENDATIONS VERY SERIOUSLYAND IT HAS ADDRESSED EACHRECOMMENDATION TO REDUCEADMISSION TIMES FROM TEMERGENCY DEPARTMENT TOINPATIENT UNITS,AS PART OF ITS CONTINUED MISSIONOF PROVIDING MARYLAND'S VETERANSWITH SAFE, QUALITY, ANDCOMPASSIONATE HEALTH CARE.THAT'S SOMETHING THIS ARMYVETERAN SAYS HE'S GETTING, AS BATTLES CANCER.MR. WILLIAMS: THEY'VE BEEN VEFORTHCOMING AND ON TIME AND VERYKNOWLEDGEABLE, AND THEY GIVE MEALL THE INFORMATION I NEED TOMAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.ADAM: THE V.A. ALSO TELLME THEY HAVE IMPLEMENTED A NEWVIRTUAL BED PROGRAM.THAT MEANS PATIENTS WILL HAVEACCESS TO FOOD AND MEDICINE WHENA THAT ISN'T AVAILABLE.

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A new report reveals the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Baltimore failed to make a number of improvements after a 2013 inspection.Among the findings were excessive emergency room wait times for an inpatient bed and poor communication between the emergency room and nurses.The report outlines three unannounced inspections. It concludes with a long list of recommendations to improve patient care.The report from VA Office of Inspector General came after new complaints filed in 2015. The findings were published Wednesday. It found insufficient action was taken on recommendations made back in 2013 to improve patient services.It was a surprise to patients like Ray Dunmore, who's there for a surgical follow-up."I had several things I've had to come down here for and all they do is take care of me. They do an excellent job," Dunmore said.But the report found 46 percent of patients in the emergency department waited more than 4 hours for a bed after doctors decided to admit them, well above a 25 percent standard -- four times longer than the national average.The average length of stay for admitted patients and delays in admissions were also much longer than performance thresholds established by the Veteran's Administration. The data was compiled between the years 2013 and 2015.In a statement to 11 news, a spokeswoman for the VA said, "As a result of the implementation of the action plans to address the OIG recommendations, the most recent data compared to last fiscal year, shows a more than 20 percent decrease in patients waiting greater than four hours in the ED before transfer to an inpatient bed at the Baltimore VA Medical Center."She continues, "The VA Maryland Health Care System takes the OIG recommendations very seriously, and it has addressed each recommendation to reduce admission times from the ED to inpatient units as part of its continued mission of providing Maryland's veterans with safe, quality and compassionate health care."That's something one Army veteran said he's getting as he battles cancer."They've been very forthcoming and on-time and knowledgeable and they give me all the information I need to make informed decisions," Wendell Williams said.The VA also said it's already implemented two of the recommendations and it's started a new virtual bed program. Patients get medications and food when an actual bed isn't available.Read the full report here.