Report: Tomah VA Staff Failed To Report Hygiene Lapse

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general says staff at the Tomah VA Medical Center failed to report a dentist who used improperly sterilized equipment, potentially exposing hundreds of patients to infection.

The Tomah VA asked nearly 600 veterans to be screened for possible infections after learning of the violations in November. The report from the Office of Inspector General released Thursday says the facility’s leaders took appropriate action once they found out about the problem.

The OIG investigation found “fear of reprisal and lack of appropriate action by leadership after prior reports” kept a staff member from alerting their supervisor about the dentist’s unsterile practices.

These concerns were also cited by staff when the death of a veteran revealed unsafe prescribing practices at the Tomah VA in 2014.

But officials at the medical center said this culture of fear is no longer an issue.

“There are multiple methods of being able to report items anonymously throughout the VA,” said Matthew Gowan, spokesman for the Tomah VA.

The OIG report also recommended changes to the way the clinic is inspected, including more unannounced inspections.

Gowan said more than 90 percent of the affected patients have been tested and no infections were found.

The dentist, Thomas Schiller, was suspended and resigned in December.

The investigation was done at the request of U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Ron Kind and Rep. Tim Walz, of Minnesota.

Editor’s Note: This story was last updated at 5:25 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, 2017.