Many Richmond-area hospitals haven't had mandated state inspections

RICHMOND, Va. — After CBS 6 broke the news that Virginia is overdue on nearly every single state hospital inspection, CBS 6 Investigative Reporter Melissa Hipolit has now learned the state may not have been doing these inspections at all.

The inspections are mandated under state law Virginia Code 32.1-126(B) and are supposed to happen every two years as a way for the state to ensure hospitals are protecting the health, safety and rights of patients.

But public records obtained from the Virginia Department of Health show those inspections haven't happened in years, or perhaps not at all, at Richmond-area hospitals.

CBS 6 received the most recent state licensure inspections from VDH for nine Central Virginia hospitals and found just three state licensure inspections.

The Children's Tower at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU had a state licensure inspection in April 2023. Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital had one in December 2009. Henrico Doctors' Hospital had one in November 2006.

For the others — Bon Secours Memorial Regional, Richmond Community, Southside Regional, St. Francis, HCA's Chippenham Johnston Willis Hospital, TriCities Hospital and VCU Health's Medical Center — there was no record of the most recent state licensure inspection.

WTVR

VDH acknowledges inspection backlog

Hipolit took the findings to the Chief Operating Officer for the Virginia Department of Health, Christopher Lindsay. The Office of Licensure and Certification is within VDH and its inspectors are supposed to go out and perform the biennial state inspections.

"During the COVID experience all state surveys were put on hold as well as were federal surveys. So coming out of that there was immediately a backlog of facilities that had not been surveyed in a timely basis," Lindsay said.

"That may be the case but there is a state law requiring the VDH, their Office of Licensure, to go out and inspect these hospitals every two years and it's simply not getting done," Hipolit responded. "Have you heard that potentially this goes far back? Like to 2009?"

"I can't speak to what happened more than two years ago when I wasn't involved in this more directly, but what I can tell you is the Virginia Department of Health is in hospitals very regularly, very regularly inspecting complaints and other survey types such as that, and we are working to staff up the different resources across the organization to be proactive in these surveys that you are referencing," Lindsay said.

WATCH: State overdue on 99% of hospital inspections required by law

What inspectors look for

Inspectors look for a number of quality and safety measures during these state inspections. For example, they make sure hospitals do infection control in the nursery, establish a hospital-wide infection surveillance program, and have procedures to sterilize and dispose of waste and contaminated supplies.

"I think right now across the board we are trying to build up the teams to be out and be proactive in these survey approaches," Lindsay said. "I made that very clear today that we are owning that, and we are moving forward on the recruitment, the retention and the process redesign so it certainly is something important to us."

VDH says hospitals must be re-certified or re-accredited periodically by VDH's OLC or a CMS-approved accrediting organization like the Joint Commission. The re-certification or re-accreditation process consists of an on-site visit by a survey team to assess compliance with federal regulations.

"I do want to add that 99% of Virginia hospitals have been appropriately surveyed by CMS, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, designated bodies such as the Joint Commission or others," Lindsay said.

Staffing challenges

VDH's Office of Licensure and Certification is currently budgeted for 10 hospital inspectors and all of those positions are currently filled.

"Would you consider asking the legislature for more money for more inspectors to look at hospitals?" Hipolit asked.

"Budget requests go through the governor's office so I would have to yield to them for that answer," Lindsay said.

"Is that something that you think is needed?" Hipolit asked.

"As I said, I think more individuals in the field is probably a good thing so we are having those internal discussions," Lindsay responded.

VDH said it has been without a full-time Acute Care Director since September 2022. This is the person that oversees hospital inspectors. The job is currently posted.

In the job posting, VDH called the job a "critical leadership role for an accomplished professional who is committed to safeguarding Virginians through regulatory excellence and the advancement of healthcare quality."

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