Spine Clinics And Referrals To Spine Care Center Hubs

[ArNG11]

Has anyone had any luck being referred to one of these centers? Are you better off trying to get fee based care outside the VA?

[63SIERRA]

hell I cant even get a referreal to a orto doc at the WACo vamc. much less an outside referral. I hear they are making great strides in laser surgery though, and would love to consult with someone who knows what they are doing, and cares.

[ArNG11]

haven't had any luck yet. I had the appointment with a nurse practitioner, she reviewed my private med records and asked what i wanted as far as an outcome from being a patient there and that was the extent of the appointment. She would forward this to the doc. Its been over three weeks and I haven't heard anything back yet. Had a tfc surgery and rhizotomy done since then with my private insurance. Yeah my faith in the VA med system is not real high, however,in all fairness I really have just started with them.

[Navy04]

I need surgery on both knees, shoulder and back. I have been waiting for Referrals since last March.

[63SIERRA]

haven't had any luck yet. I had the appointment with a nurse practitioner, she reviewed my private med records and asked what i wanted as far as an outcome from being a patient there and that was the extent of the appointment. She would forward this to the doc. Its been over three weeks and I haven't heard anything back yet. Had a tfc surgery and rhizotomy done since then with my private insurance. Yeah my faith in the VA med system is not real high, however,in all fairness I really have just started with them.

Being they know you have private health care, they are likely not going to do very much for you.

They steer away from spine problems. I dont have private health care and have been begging them to see a back doctor and they refuse me. Im 60 percent too. I dont think its legal what they are doing, but theyre doing it.

[Loose Cannon]

arng11 - I don't believe a second opinion could hurt. Heck, that's what makes Hadit.com such a valuable tool for our community...you get lots of advice/opinions and then make your own decision on how to proceed. Best of luck to you.

REGARDING VA REFERRALS - In my experience, the care I received through the VA healthcare system has been excellent. In fact, I believe I wouldn't be here today had it not been for the many doctors, nurses, LCSW's, and civillians who have cared for me since my active duty military service ended. I may be in the minority in this opinion but for me personally, it's fact.

With that said, I too have had referrals "slip through the cracks" and have had 3 authorized referrals expire because I never received the fee base paperwork in the mail. How do I know this? Because I visit the Release of Records office (every VAMC has one) at least twice a year and ask them for a printout of my treatment records since my last request. IT'S FREE. Sometimes you may wait 30 minutes or so but it's something you really should consider. In my case, I can see WHEN a referral was placed and WHEN it expired. A referral is only good for a few months so if if, like the cases above, you've been waiting for months & months and haven't heard anything...it may have expired! Perhaps at some point it may be worthwile to involve your particular Patient Advocate (every VAMC has one of those too!).

Or...you can choose to sulk and let the system gaff you off. It sucks that we have to struggle to get the care we are seeking but I guess that's a part of our life. How we deal with every day setbacks is what makes us different from the "average joe" I guess. Stay on it and don't give up when it comes to your VA referrals!...As always, jmho.

LC