%0 Journal Article
%T In aftermath of financial investigation Phoenix VA employee demoted after her testimony
%A Robbins RA
%J Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care
%D 2013
%I Arizona Thoracic Society
%X No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A previous Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care Journal editorial commented on fiscal mismanagement at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Phoenix (1). Now Paula Pedene, the former Phoenix VA public affairs officer, claims she was demoted for testimony she gave to the VA Inspector General¡¯s Office (OIG) regarding that investigation (2). In 2011, the OIG investigated the Phoenix VA for excess spending on private care of patients (3). The report blamed systemic failures for controls so weak that $56 million in medical fees were paid during 2010 without adequate review. The report particularly focused on one clinician assigned by the Chief of Staff to review hundreds of requests per week and the intensive care unit physicians for transferring patients to chronic ventilator units (1,3). After the investigation, the director and one of the associate directors left the VA and the chief of staff was promoted ¡­
%K Veterans Affairs
%K Department of Veterans Affairs
%K Office of Inspector General
%K fiscal mismanagement
%K sexual harassment
%K intimidation
%K retaliation
%K Paula Pedene
%K Gabriel Perez
%K Christopher Bacorn
%U http://www.swjpcc.com/news/2013/3/29/in-aftermath-of-financial-investigation-phoenix-va-employee.html