VA SURGICAL IMPLANTS: Purchase Requirements Were Not Always Followed at Selected Medical Centers and Oversight Needs Improvement.

The article focuses on the visit of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMC). The agency found that patient need is among the factors influencing clinicians' decisions in using surgical implants and that clinicians are not aware of surgical implants's availability on federal supply schedule (FSS) contracts. Moreover, the assessment of surgical implant purchases by the VA and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is discussed.