V.A. is REALLY a MESS!

[DocGreek]

It's hit the "media", AGAIN!! How the VA has given death sentences to Vets because of PIZZ POOR MANAGEMENT....AGAIN!!!! NOTE: if you, or I go to a VA Hospital, make DAM SURE you tell them what you THINK!!....Doctors, Nurses, and administrators!!! DO NOT let them put YOU AT RISK!!! Tell them I SAID SO!!!....DOC

[HST]

Hey wait a minute Doc, You been hitting the super darvon again? You're talking about the "NEW VA" I just sent in the survey form they sent me after my last visit. I gave them a AAA rating. I called to get an appoinment to get some new hearing gear. They told me I had to go through my primary care physician. I told them I've never had one and I couldn't understand why I had to see a primary physicial to get something that I had been on record with since 1969. They said it didn't matter, new rules, so they gave me an appointment. I went there and this primary turned out to be a nurse practicioner, who didn't speak very good english but worked like hell to get me to argee to make the VA my healthcare provider. In the end she set up at least a dozen tests, blood, ****, stool, brain scan and the one I really wanted, hearing. It was a big time sales pitch but I'll tell you this, it was the first time in all the years I've been screwing around with the VA, that they were nice and man were they nice, they were nice, every appointment was on time. I got calls to remind me about them. I got the reports within a couple of days. It was a hell of a lot better than going to my regular doc and sitting in his office for hours after my appointment time because he books 5 times more people than he can see. The tests I got in 3 hours would take 3 days in any regular hospital. I sent them a letter with the survey. If they can do this all the time, I'll give them a try.

[DocGreek]

Cpl TONY....please don't misunderstand...the VA saved my life THREE TIMES, in the last 20 years!! A tripple bypass, two attempted suicides with rubber room follow-ups, a right knee minusectomy, and in 10 days....my left knee!! "Service", has been VERY GOOD....BUT obvious problems DO exist, on a national basis!! The system needs a complete OVERHAUL....ground up!!....SEMPER FI, HST!!....DOC

[ggyoung]

I have nothing but good to say about the VA in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are very good at what they do. DocGreek this one is for you. The country just buried one of the best corpsmen in history. The SLC VA is named after him. If I can I will try to name him but my spelling is not so good=======George Mchleen that is not right. Any way he saved a bunch of Marines on Iwo. Got the MOH doing it. Damn you corpsmen all should get that one. Thanks to all of you.

[DocGreek]

HM3 Tom Bradly, was one of the flag raisers on IWO. Hell of a man! He'll be missed...by ALL of us....SEMPER FI...DOC

[Petz]

the VA in Ann Arbor Michigan is staffed with University of Michigan doctors... so the care is top notch...

if the VA doesn't have the test equipment they send us to UofM to get it done.

the doctors are nice (they get their residency faster with a better shift) and are on time. I'd say the nurse practitioners improve overall efficiency as well... never saw one until I talked to one at the VA... their all over the place. nothing wrong with them... they have a masters in the medical field... just not the doctorate...

[HST]

Hey Doc, I'm just Shi**ing you around. The VA used to be number 10, now they are number 9.95. I like the new attitude and the service. If they can keep it going, great but I doubt it.

The point I think everyone missed is the fact that for 35 years, I, we, could call a specific clinic after our initial certification and get an appointment. Now we have to make an appointmnt with this primary to get a referral to gat an appointment. Times that by the number of veterans and its a whole lot of wasted money that could be spent on vets who need help. I don't know about other places but the 2 VA facilities here are trash, old buildings in very poor condition. The vets would be better served if the VA spent its money refurbishing them rather than wasting it on appointments to get appointments.

[HST]

Hey Doc, I'm just Shi**ing you around. The VA used to be number 10, now they are number 9.95. I like the new attitude and the service. If they can keep it going, great but I doubt it.

The point I think everyone missed is the fact that for 35 years, I, we, could call a specific clinic after our initial certification and get an appointment. Now we have to make an appointmnt with this primary to get a referral to gat an appointment. Times that by the number of veterans and its a whole lot of wasted money that could be spent on vets who need help. I don't know about other places but the 2 VA facilities here are trash, old buildings in very poor condition. The vets would be better served if the VA spent its money refurbishing them rather than wasting it on appointments to get appointments.

[Rocky C]

AGAIN???


Sun Jun 21, 11:59 pm ET
PHILADELPHIA – Ninety-two veterans were given incorrect radiation doses in a common surgical procedure to treat prostate cancer during a six-year period at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia, according to newspaper reports Sunday.
A hospital team that performed the procedure botched it on 92 of 116 occasions and continued the treatment for a year even though monitoring equipment was broken, The New York Times said. The Philadelphia Inquirer said treatment errors occurred in 92 of 114 cases.
The cases involved brachytherapy, in which implanted radioactive seeds are used to kill cancer cells. Most veterans got significantly less than the prescribed dose while others received excessive radiation to nearby tissue and organs.
A federal commission announced last fall that an inspection at the hospital was under way partly because of the number of patients given incorrect radiation doses. The medical center suspended its prostate cancer treatment program as a result of the ongoing investigation.
Investigators found that 57 implants delivered too little radiation to the prostate and 35 cases involved overdoses to other parts of the body, according to a Nuclear Regulatory Commission report published in the Federal Register this month. An unspecified number of patients had both underdoses to the prostate and overdoses in other areas.
All of the affected veterans have received follow-up care, and eight got additional seed implants at a Seattle VA center, according to Dale Warman of the Philadelphia VA Medical Center. Warman said the hospital leadership "takes the ... situation very seriously and has taken every step possible to correct or mitigate the problem."
Four of the men have since died, but Warman said none of the deaths was connected to prostate cancer or the treatment.
Several staff members, including oncologist Gary Kao, who was under contract to the VA and was involved in nearly all of the cases, are no longer employed at the hospital. Kao's lawyer, Jack L. Gruenstein, told the Times its account of the doctor's role was "false" but declined to elaborate.
A team from the commission, which oversees such radiation therapy, is scheduled to be in Philadelphia this week to investigate.
"As we have done throughout this process, Philadelphia VA Medical Center staff are prepared to share whatever records and information are necessary to discover what happened, why it happened, and to take steps to prevent it from happening again," Warman said.

[HST]

The statement in the previous post is incorrect. It should read...the hospital leadership " takes the situation very seriously and is taking every step to ensure that they do a better job covering things like this up in the future"

[Rocky C]

The statement in the previous post is incorrect. It should read...the hospital leadership " takes the situation very seriously and is taking every step to ensure that they do a better job covering things like this up in the future"

Well Said

Semper Fi,
Rocky

[skipper72]

Please don't give V. A. hospitals such a rough go. After all, I only got flatlined TWICE in Boise during a simple, routine hernia repair job. Could have been worse, I guess ( or better, depending on how folks feel about my postings here).

[Rocky C]

Please don't give V. A. hospitals such a rough go. After all, I only got flatlined TWICE in Boise during a simple, routine hernia repair job. Could have been worse, I guess ( or better, depending on how folks feel about my postings here).

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

We all love ya here Skipper.
Sorry about the Flatlining.
I've been enrolled in the VA Health Care System for almost 30 years and I'm in 12 differant clinics, some good care, some bad.

My favorite is my PTSD clinic, I go in feeling like sh*t everyweek and come out an hour later feeling worse. They just don't get me I guess.
It is what it is.
Semper Fi,
Rocky

[ReconDoc]

I went to the V.A. Facility here in orlando back several years ago and being a retired corpsman, they did'nt impress me much, ain't been back since. Maybe they will improve at the new facility going up at Lake Nona just down the road.

[alohajacksan]

American By Choice, FMF Corpsman By The Grace Of God!
Semper Fi!


30yrs Navy Medicine plus 15 yrs. Combat Medic “Doc”

As you enter about (25–30 percent) of the VA staff/clerk may seem concerned about our difficulties. Truth is I’ve heard VA Staff express amusement while mocking the very medical condition; that you just shared in confidence.

Don’t use sarcasm especially if you are teasing or joking because (staff having a bad day) can put a permanent derogatory or antagonistic entry into your “Computer Health Record” ~And it is your word for word~ countersigned by another staff member.

Be skeptical of all VA Staff/ Tech. checking you in/ Nurses/Dr./ Psych/Social Workers. They are not your comrades

Personally, after battling the VA since 2003, I always carry a small digital tape recorder. VA Legal informed me that I must request the provider approval. HA! HA! HA!

Request copies of you computer health record. Look over your notes/recording and you are allowed to make rebuttals if you find discrepancies.

In all honesty the VA Staff (70% or more) treat the Vet as a Hero thus you will easily ID the “Memphis VA Saints!!!

Devil Doc fleetmarinedoc7@aol.com 901 837 4399