Allegations of record tampering show ‘fundamental misunderstanding'

Updated at 6:18 p.m.

During a two-day visit to the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, the commander of Navy Medicine East called the efforts of hospital staff treating pre- and post-deployment Marines and sailors for mental health needs extraordinary. Their commitment to the work, he said, was “breathtaking.”

Navy Medicine East, a command comprising 15 hospitals including Camp Lejeune’s, conducted two quality assurance reviews of the hospital, interviewing staff and officials at every level. The reviews follow allegations by a former hospital contract psychiatrist of shoddy care and troops with severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder receiving inadequate attention.

Rear Adm. Bob Kiser, commander of Navy Medicine East, told the Daily News Tuesday that he was satisfied with the results of those reviews. He said Navy Medicine East does not intend to conduct another review, although standard quality assurance procedures will continue.

“I am very, very confident and very much assured that the quality of mental healthcare services available here to Marines and sailors emanating from Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune and all of its attendant pieces is very, very high,” Kiser said.

While Kiser said there have been some changes to rules related to how Marines and sailors get access to care and how the right services can be better coordinated with the patients who need them, overhaul is not in order.

“There have not been any wholesale changes in leadership that I am aware of, nor any that I would suggest at this point,” Kiser said.

Precise results and findings of the reviews are protected under U.S. Code title 10, section 1102, which provides for the confidentiality of medical quality assurance records.

Dr. Kernan Manion, a brain trauma specialist from Sneads Ferry who worked at the Naval Hospital for seven months before he was fired by his contract employer, has made a number of claims about failings in the system and in hospital leadership. Most recently, he alleged that his performance review was negatively altered by his superiors in order to damage his credibility.

Kiser said these claims by Manion show a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the performance review system, which is meant to incorporate perspectives from various sources up the chain of command before becoming official with the signature of the hospital’s head physician.

“Any little snippets that are not bottom-lined represent peoples’ input into this, not the appraisal,” Kiser said. “Unless there’s a final thing that comes out, there’s not a final thing that can be altered.”

While the specifics of Manion’s personal assessment review are protected by section 1102, Kiser said, it is not uncommon for varying opinions to be collated and submitted up the chain of command for review.

To Manion’s assertion that he was never called or counseled for poor performance, the commanding officer of the Naval Hospital, Capt. Gerard Cox, said he should look to his contract employer, Spectrum Healthcare Resources, not to the hospital.

“It’s important to remember that he wasn’t our employee. So if there was a personnel file, it would be maintained by his employer, which was the contractor he worked for at the hospital,” Cox said.

Kiser said the hospital’s mental health care and deployment health care departments have seen increased demand, not only because of an influx of 20,000 troops and family members to Eastern North Carolina through the Federal Grow The Force Initiative, but because the staff has been working successfully to remove the stigma of seeking mental care for troops.

The hospital plans to meet increased demand by adding to its staff of mental health professionals, which now numbers 37, Kiser said.

In an earlier interview, Cox said the hospital receives more than 26,000 referrals per year for mental health care.

Last week, Congressman Walter Jones (R-NC) sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asking for investigation at the Department of Defense level into Naval Hospital practices. A reply from Gates said the department was currently examining the information Jones had provided.

Manion remained adamant Tuesday that the hospital had acted wrongly in its treatment of him and that another look into its workings was needed.

“A five-month investigation that didn't even interview me, the principal complainant, and one that must remain secret is highly suspect,” Manion said. “Congressman Jones was emphatic that he wanted this investigation removed from Navy's influence. Rear Admiral Kiser's comments make it clear why.”  

Contact Hope Hodge at 910-219-8453 or hhodge@freedomenc.com. 

Updated at 1:49 p.m.

During a two-day visit to the Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, the commander of Navy Medicine East addressed the work of the hospital to treat pre- and post-deployment Marines and sailors for mental health needs, calling the efforts of staff “extraordinary.”

Following allegations by a former hospital civilian contract psychiatrist of shoddy care and troops with severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder receiving inadequate attention, Navy Medicine East, a command comprising 15 hospitals including Camp Lejeune’s, conducted two quality assurance reviews of the hospital, interviewing staff and officials at every level.

Rear Adm. Bob Kiser told the Daily News Tuesday that he was satisfied with the results of those “very thorough” reviews and that Navy Medicine East does not intend to conduct another review, although standard quality assurance procedures will continue.

Kiser also said that the hospital’s mental health care and deployment health care departments have seen increased demand, not only because of an influx of 20,000 troops and family members to Eastern North Carolina through the Federal Growth The Force Initiative, but because staff have been working successfully to destigmatize the act of seeking mental care for troops.

The hospital plans to meet increased demand by adding to its staff of mental health professionals, which now numbers 37, Kiser said.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

The admiral in charge of Navy hospitals in the east region says the quality of care at the hospital in North Carolina is excellent.

Rear Adm. Bob Kiser said Tuesday he had "no concerns about the quality of care" at the Camp Lejeune hospital.

Public questions about the quality of mental health care at the base were raised last year by the September firing of Dr. Kernan Manion. He’s a brain trauma specialist who had complained to commanders about poor facilities, inadequate care and weak security.

Kiser commands 15 hospitals on the East Coast, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes and in Europe. He spent two days visiting the hospital.