The results are eye-opening.
The VA's Office of Inspector General pulled the records of 20 discharged mental health patients at Bay Pines and found that the hospital failed to provide timely follow-up care to eight of those patients.
Inspectors also checked the records of 10 patients considered at high risk of suicide and found the hospital didn't provide follow-up care in a timely manner for three of those patients.
VA regulations require that all discharged patients receive follow-up contact within seven days of being discharged. If that contact is by phone, an in-person or remote health evaluation must take place in two weeks. High-risk patients must receive two outpatient follow-up evaluations within 14 days of discharge and two more within 15 to 30 days.
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