More than a year after its suspension, the heart transplant program at Richmond (Va.) VA Medical Center is under investigation, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported March 24.
A source familiar with the investigation told the Times-Dispatch the probe was opened in fall 2024. Following employees’ concerns about patient safety, the program has been temporarily closed since August 2023.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has conducted an internal review of the program, but it could not validate the hospital’s operation time data, according to the report.
The United Network for Organ Sharing, which operates the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network under HHS contract, is reviewing the VA’s request for the heart transplant program to be reactivated.
“All requested information has been provided and UNOS is currently reviewing VA’s submission,” a VA spokesperson told Becker’s. “The Central Virginia VA Healthcare System remains dedicated to providing timely, high-quality health care to veterans and will continue to work closely with UNOS as it completes its review.”
The pause was originally meant to last 45 days. It has lasted 19 months.
A spokesperson for OPTN told Becker’s any investigations into OPTN members are “conducted under confidential peer review.”
