Complications Incurred Because of Delays in Transferring Patients to VA Spinal Cord Injury Treatment Centers

Abstract

GAO reviewed the spinal cord injury program of the Veterans Administration (VA) to determine if there were problems with admitting patients to specialized treatment centers. During the past several years the VA spinal cord injury program has attracted much congressional interest. VA has recognized the medical importance of treating spinal cord injury patients in a specialized environment, and, as of February 1973, had established 15 specialized treatment centers with a total of 1,282 beds. VA, military, and private physicians advised GAO that newly injured spinal cord patients should be admitted to specialized centers as soon as possible--within a maximum of 30 days--to reduce occurrence of medical complications. GAO visited four spinal cord treatment centers in VA hospitals in California, Illinois, New York, and Washington, D.C.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 20, 1974
Accession Number
AD1119714

Entities

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • California
  • Department Of Defense
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Hospitalizations
  • Hospitals
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Facilities
  • Military Hospitals
  • Military Medicine
  • New York
  • Physicians
  • Spinal Cord
  • Spinal Injuries
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

  • Government Contracting/Procurement.
  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Trauma or Military Medicine