Audit criticizes care at Atlanta VA Medical Center

ATLANTA (AP) -- A new federal audit finds that three deaths occurred in the past two years under the watch of the Atlanta VA Medical Center after authorities say it lost track of mental health patients it referred to a contractor and failed to keep a close enough eye on those under its own care.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the audit by the Department of Veterans Affairs' Inspector General found that many of the 4,000 patients the veterans hospital referred to the DeKalb Community Service Board "fell through the cracks."

Atlanta VA officials did not dispute any of the audit's findings and say they are implementing its recommendations, from new policies on contraband and drug screenings to a new patient tracking system.