Thursday, June 25, 2009

VA Releases $26 Million for Endoscopy Sterlization Equipment

WBIR.com Knoxville, TN

"Veterans Affairs hospitals will get $26 million worth of new sterilizing equipment to help clean endoscopes and other reusable medical devices, the Department of Veterans Affairs said Wednesday."

"The money will be released from the VA reserve funds, which means it can be distributed immediately to hospitals to buy the equipment. The money also will go toward implementing stricter guidelines for cleaning of endoscopes, devises used for examining the nose, throat and colon."

"A VA inspector general's report released last week found that fewer than half the VA facilities using endoscopes had procedures for cleaning them or could prove they had trained staff in such procedures."