Could Some Onet Ell Me How To Change Dr @ The Va

[yoggie2]

My God almighty, this is the second time I had talked to her and I have never felt so degraded in my life. I get it, if I was paying for medical care I'd feel like I was talking to a professional. I swear I felt like I was having a pissing contest with a child, yes she is a Dr. all of 28 or 30 years old. I ask a simple question and she starts in on a rant. Then I made the mistake of asking her about my pain meds and there she went again out the window WOW!! I really can react fast to bull when I smell what she is selling, but I have to say she left me standing there completely speechless with the excrement (edited) that spewed out of her mouth, and I was completely nice about it and sucked it up. I was treated like I went to the health dept. and ask for a car, gas card and brain surgery, back and leg surgery and a new house and I want you to pay for it and 200.000 cash. I ask if I bring in my Private Dr.'s script for pain meds could I use the VA pharmacy because of the cost a lot and it being my injury was service connected. Yes or no would have been fine. This is what she said, " Are you kidding me this is way to much pain meds, the only way you would get these meds is if you had cancer and if you did happen to get the you would have surprise urine test at our demand at any time to come in, taking someone else's med or not taking them you would be ban from ever getting them again and you would have to sign an agreement stating so". I said forget that obviously the VA has a lot to learn about pain management. They are 10 behind of time and a have no concept of qualty of life. I was treated as if I had ask her for Heroin and syringes and a pill crusher and straws and for my 5 year old needs Vicodine while I'm here. This is medication I have be on for years and is the only meds that provide any quality of life at all. RC

Edited November 29, 2007 by sixthscents

[Josephine]

My God almighty, this is the second time I had talked to her and I have never felt so degraded in my life. I get it, if I was paying for medical care I'd feel like I was talking to a professional. I swear I felt like I was having a pissing contest with a child, yes she is a Dr. all of 28 or 30 years old. I ask a simple question and she starts in on a rant. Then I made the mistake of asking her about my pain meds and there she went again out the window WOW!! I really can react fast to bull when I smell what she is selling, but I have to say she left me standing there completely speechless with the excrement (edited) that spewed out of her mouth, and I was completely nice about it and sucked it up. I was treated like I went to the health dept. and ask for a car, gas card and brain surgery, back and leg surgery and a new house and I want you to pay for it and 200.000 cash. I ask if I bring in my Private Dr.'s script for pain meds could I use the VA pharmacy because of the cost a lot and it being my injury was service connected. Yes or no would have been fine. This is what she said, " Are you kidding me this is way to much pain meds, the only way you would get these meds is if you had cancer and if you did happen to get the you would have surprise urine test at our demand at any time to come in, taking someone else's med or not taking them you would be ban from ever getting them again and you would have to sign an agreement stating so". I said forget that obviously the VA has a lot to learn about pain management. They are 10 behind of time and a have no concept of qualty of life. I was treated as if I had ask her for Heroin and syringes and a pill crusher and straws and for my 5 year old needs Vicodine while I'm here. This is medication I have be on for years and is the only meds that provide any quality of life at all. RC

yoggie2,

I am not saying that " Lady Docs'" are all like this, but I sure do know where you are coming from.

I am in the biggest fight of my life with one.

Always,

Josephine

Edited November 30, 2007 by sixthscents

[betrayed]

go to patient advocate at vamc tell them u want a new PCP (primary care provider) and why.

Before you talk to patient advocate you should read patients bill of rights.

Edited November 29, 2007 by BETRAYED

[Speaking Out]

go to patient advocate at vamc tell them u want a new PCP (primary care provider) and why.

Before you talk to patient advocate you should read patients bill of rights.

Most definitely, go to the patient advocate, and tell them what happened just the way you told us. You give the problem and you even acknowledge that you sometimes go over the top, but this time that was not the case, you held your tongue. Let the advocate know that this doctor needs spoken to about what behavior is appropriate and Vets do not need to be threatened with urine tests. You are not a criminal on probation. Ask them to change you to a new doctor and to follow up on your complaint and notify you in writing that the matter was handled. I am pretty sure you use the Indy VA. If this doesn't work for you, make a post here and I'll contact you with some names and numbers. The patient advocates office voicemail will be on and you have to leave a message and they are supposed to call you back within 1 business day.

[Pete53]

Most VA Doc's will honor an outside Doc's prescription. I think that the advice about seeing a patient advocate is right on.

[sixthscents]

When you agree to accept the VA prescriptions, you also agree to NOT request them from an outside sourse... hence her referral to a drug test etc.

Pain meds work funny in the VA compared to private practice... doctors (PCP) doctors are only allowed to write a certain level of pain med. The system will simply DENY them the right, based upon their care level...

Most chronic pain sufferers have to go thru pain management to get the appropriate level of medication. The doctor simply CANNOT write it. Now she, or he may be a bit upset and try to cover it up saying that you shouldn't be on such and such...

Personally I would just ask for a referral to pain management... and take this doctor out of the loop. If you are taking high level pain meds, (unless waivered due to location), you are going to have to go thru them for them anyway. Now once pain management signs off, the PCP can continue the meds (submit refills) - but the INITIAL perscription has to come from pain management.

Also, a LARGE number of our PCP's are nurse practitioners... and they are even MORE restricted from writing scripts. They have to get the actual MD on staff to write anything over a hydrocodone... like a percocet. They simply cannot write the script, so they drag their feet to write anything other than what they are allowed.

I would certainly see the patient advocate... and I would also immediatly ask for a referral to pain management who can write what you need. Just take your civilian scripts to them... not the PCP who is probably a nurse practitioner, and not even an MD. Also take them copies of your civilian records (if practicle) so they can see you have been on these meds for a long time...

They dont tell you this stuff, and getting one to admit it is like pulling teeth. My sister who is an RN, is MY case manager... she went with me to my PCP appointment, where they had to schedule an appointment with the actual MD in the clinic just for this reason... and he HAD to do a pain management referral because he couldn't write the scripts I need. It was incredible the lengths they went to before they finally admitted that... trying to say (like yourself) that I didn't need the med.

The funny thing is I am ALREADY in the pain management system, I just hadn't been perscribed the med my sister said I needed. (It po'd them that a mere RN was telling them what I needed, but she deals with chronic pain all day long as DON of a nursing home).

Now with all that said I STILL like my PCP... I just am more aware of her limitations, and her likelyhood to balk when we hit them... understand? Some of these care providers act like we are on welfare - especially in the VAMC POD's... I got away from them as quick as I could and into a local CBOC clinic... and am MUCH happier. Even with this med issue they were polite and seemed really concerned. My PCP is the one who really kicked off this claim for R-1/R-2 I have going and she has been totally supportive - except when we hit this limitation, and even then she did eventually set up the appointment with the MD, and she also did the referral to Pain management at the same time. So, I am still happy with the level of care I am getting, I just understand how the system works now and know to ask for a referral from the start....

They do get REALLY pissy (not with me... just what I have seen with other vets) about vets getting meds from other sources as well as the VA... especially pain meds. I was clearly told that by accepting pain meds from the VA I agreed NOT to seek them from any other source. I haven't so I haven't hit that barrier, but I've seen it happen.

OK, so this is how I THINK the stuff works... and we just went thru it last week, so hopefully it wasn't a load. I dont think so, because they had to schedule all the appointments etc, and that is a lot harder than simply writing a script. I have been in the VA system now for 6 years I guess, and I can honestly say that while we have decent VAMC's here in Tennessee, I am MUCH happier with the CBOC... it's closer, a WHOLE lot easier to get an appointment (normally within 2-3 days), and they seem.. well they dont seem to treat me just like a number. Personally, by my experience, I reccomend them....

but all this has been based solely upon MY experience.

[yoggie2]

Sorry about the foul language, I was broad sided and was pissed. I was standing there like a deer caught in the head lights, my first thought was violence!!!! but I was so shocked I could think of nothing. for the first till I felt I was at her mercy and I was fixing to get screwed. Man this is a travesty and criminal. RC