Story highlights A report raises concerns related to staffing shortages, dirty storage areas and failure to keep track of medical equipment

The VA responded to the report by removing the medical center director from his position

(CNN) The Department of Veterans Affairs' inspector general says practices at the Washington VA Medical Center are putting "patients at unnecessary risk," and the VA has removed the director of the hospital from his position, assigning him to temporary administrative duties.

A report out Wednesday raised several concerns related to staffing shortages, dirty storage areas and failure to keep track of medical equipment, leading to shortages that could endanger patient health.

The report identified 18 dirty sterile storage areas out of 25 reviewed at the medical center, and found that more than $150 million in equipment had not been inventoried or accounted for in the past year, which led to medical procedures being canceled or delayed.

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The VA's inspector general, Michael Missal, said his "lack of confidence" in the VA's ability to address the root causes of the issues and the urgent nature of the risk to patients made it necessary to release his interim findings before the investigation is complete, a rare step.

The VA responded to the report by removing the medical center director from his position and said more disciplinary actions may follow. The former director, Brian A. Hawkins, could not immediately be reached for comment by CNN. The VA initially named the facility's chief of staff as the acting medical director but reversed that decision later Wednesday and named Lawrence Connell, a VA policy adviser, to the position.

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