I see a common thread here, when I include my experiences with the VA. The doctor I'm assigned to is excellent. His nursing staff superb. All other clerical types seem to think their job is to slow-roll, filter, obstruct.
Things that in other clinics takes minutes, they take days at our local VA. Things which should take hours, take days and weeks. On some things, I give up and use my work health insurance, pay the co-pay, and get it done. Max Dillon, Charleston SC On Jun 3, 2014 10:57 PM, "WILTON" <wilt...@nc.rr.com> wrote: > "Clerical staff, who care not a whit about the level of service they give" > reminds me: > > Because of "horror" stories I had heard about getting "the run-around" and > long waiting times, I had never used VA medical care at all until about a > year ago, when I received a letter from my neurologist at Duke University > Hospital informing me that he'd no longer be able to see me for my CIDP > condition at the Duke clinic. Clinic was being converted to see ALS > patients only. Because he is the only neurologist of the many I've seen > who would listen to me and help me work out a treatment regimen that helped > me drastically, I sent him an e-mail pleading with him to not "throw me > back out there" to find another neurologist who would likely think he/she > already has all the answers and not want to listen to anything I have to > say. He called me the next morning at 8 and talked to me for nearly an > hour about ways that we may proceed. He reminded me that, if I could > become registered at the Durham VA Medical Center, where he works in > addition to Duke, he'd be able to see me there and continue the treatments > with no other change at all. I had a little glitch in getting registered > (cited below), saw the "Duke" neurologist at VA few weeks later and have > continued my treatments with no break at all; Medicare and Tricare continue > to pay as they have for years. He schedules me to see him at the VA Center > every six months; no problem with all of it so far, except the registration > glitch cited below. > > A little aside on getting registered at VA: I filled out application > on-line and printed it out, but had coupla questions before sending it in. > 'Called coordinator at Durham VA Medical Center; during our discussion, > coordinator asked about my possible exposure to Agent Orange; 'told her, > "Don't think so; I was never on the ground in Vietnam; 'flew B-52's from > Guam and U-Tapao, Thailand." When I told her U-Tapao, she got excited and > insisted that I go "right now and talk to Ms ?, registration supervisor." > 'Got my stuff together and off we went to Durham. Quickly found Ms. > Supervisor, who told me, "Don't have time to talk to you right now. Fill > out these papers and give 'em to lady at window." When I started filling > out the papers, I realized they were the ones I had in my hand already > completed! 'Handed them to lady at window, who told me to "wait here, > we'll call you by name." Twice during the next 2½ hours, we were rebuffed > whenever we tried to remind lady at the window that I was still waiting - > "You'll be called by name," she insisted. At 4 PM, ladies behind window > picked up their handbags, locked door and left. Nearly an hour later, I > had become very suspicious that I had truly been forgotten, and it began to > look as if people were leaving "for the day." I asked wife to "find Ms > Supervisor, I think they're leaving for the day." Supervisor was, indeed, > leaving for the day; when she saw SWMBO, she exclaimed, "What?!! You're > still here?!!" Yes, indeed, they had forgotten me!!!!!! Lady who should > have taken the registration nearly 4 hours earlier was also leaving; > supervisor called her back and called me in to give the registration info. > During the 15 minutes or so that the registration took, Ms Supervisor > kept trying to apologize, "Oh, Mister Strickland, I'm so terribly sorry." > I never said a word; never responded to the "apology;" 'just let 'em stew > over it overnight, worried about possible call from their supervisors the > next day, but I never reported it to anybody. They got away with it, and I > sure hope they had a sleepless night, but I doubt it. I regret having not > reported it officially. > > Wilton > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those > individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner > has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor. > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com All posts are the result of individual contributors and as such, those individuals are responsible for the content of the post. The list owner has no control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
