FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- The Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks (VHSO) held a town hall for the public Monday (July 9) to give an update on the pathology reviews being conducted in the wake of a doctor's firing.
The reviews center around a doctor who was found to be "impaired" during his work with the VHSO and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fayetteville.
A VA spokeswoman couldn't confirm or deny whether Robert Morris Levy is the same pathologist linked to the misdiagnoses.
The Associated Press reported Levy was fired April because of a DUI which was ultimately dismissed. Levy denied being impaired while on duty.
The VA on Monday did not provide an update on the number of missed diagnoses.
Previously, the hospital said that out of 911 cases, they had found 7 missed diagnoses and one possible death.
Officials said 2,500 of the more than 19,000 cases have already been reviewed. They said they expect the entire review to be complete within six months.
The issue was announced by VA officials and federal legislators on June 18. Officials said the pathologist saw 19,794 patients, and of those, 5,250 had died since 2005.
Those deaths, along with the rest of the cases, are under review. It was not known at the time if any of the deaths were related to misdiagnoses from the pathologist.
At the time of the announcement, officials said they had seven cases of misdiagnosis by the pathologist so far based on internal reviews, and one of those cases resulted in a death.
The pathologist was part of the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, the officials said.
The town hall is aimed to provide the most current information to veterans, their families and their beneficiaries, as well as to address their concerns, the VHSO said in a news release.
The VHSO officials will be joined by representatives from the Veterans Benefits Administration to help answer any related questions.