My wife did a coupla months rotation at "The Manch" the VA hospital in
Manchester, NH, like 20 yr ago. It was known then as a total disaster,
and all the residents dreaded going there both because of the
bureaucracy, conditions, tattoo/tooth ratio of the staff, and everything
else plus it was in New Hamster (Live Free and Die!). A coupla weeks
ago she posted this on her FB page and got a lot of colleagues who
agreed totally.
I find it bizarre that the media are apoplectic about "delays
scheduling" in the VA system, and trying to turn it into the
next Washington scandal. Where have these people been? Ask any
medical student or resident who ever rotated through the VA and
they will tell you it is an absolutely terrible system,
inefficient, poor quality care, mediocre at best. VA system is
interviewed with a 9 to 3 work ethic, there's no incentive to do
anything better than it was done 40 years ago. In fact
innovation, improvement are generally discouraged. The VA
facilities are old, dirty, smell bad and the systems are
ancient. The only good thing I can say about having spent many
many months in various VA hospitals, is the spectrum of
pathology is amazing and the vets themselves are even more
amazing. The VA system and work ethic are old, inefficient, not
patient centric and out of date. If you want to improve medical
care for our vets, dissolve the VA system and incorporate them
into mainstream medical care.
The main driver seems to be the federal union mindset among the support
staff, who can't be disciplined, fired, transferred, or basically made
to do their jobs like anyone in the private sector would be expected to
do. The docs and nurses have other motivations and strive within the
system, but there is only so much they can do. Your tax dollars at work
(??). BTW Milt, those staffers slept just fine, and came back refreshed
to do it again the next day.
YMMV.
--R
On 6/4/14 9:59 AM, Meade Dillon wrote:
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
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control over the content of the messages of each contributor.
_______________________________________
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To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
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