FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) — A review of cases of a former pathologist who was found to be impaired have showed 1,119 errors so far, resulting in 11 institutional disclosures and three veterans who have died.
The information was disclosed at a town hall meeting at the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville on Monday morning.
“Institutional disclosures” refers to adverse events that occurred during care that resulted in death or serious injury.
“Their deaths could possibly be a result of the diagnosis by this former doctor,” said Dr. Kelvin L. Parks, interim director of the VA Medial Center, referring to former Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks pathologist, Dr. Robert Morris Levy, who was found to be “impaired” on March 22, 2016. The pathologist was immediately removed from clinical care.
Levy was fired in April following a DUI arrest in Oct. 2017 which was ultimately dismissed. Levy denied being impaired while on duty.
Following his firing, officials with the VA Medical Center in Fayetteville and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced an investigation in more than 33,000 of Levy’s cases, which affect about 20,000 veterans.
The case reviews are expected to take until the end of the year.
