Outrage!

[Berta]

http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfAUG08/nf081508-3.htm

"UPDATE: MARION VA ADMINISTRATORS KNEW SURGEON

WAS NOT PROPERLY CREDENTIALED -- VA investigation:

Former director ignored troubling patient incident reports, failed

to establish a follow-up process for patient deaths and allowed

financial considerations to predominate over quality of care."

This is why I am fighting do hard over the lack of NPDB reporting data (a Mandatory VA requrement) regarding my husband's death-and Carlie here is in the same boat on this too-

The NPDB via HHS in each state holds the credialing info (or lack of it) on any VA doctor who was reported for prior malpractice.

That is -if the VA reported any past disciplinary actions under FTCA against the doctors.

What a cover up!

I almost expect Paul Hutter-chief General Counsel to call me up when he gets my latest letter-

Veterans are losing their lives due to VA negligence-

because these quacks get away with malpractice year after year and often the families of the dead vet do not sue them.

Without a FTCA lawsuit and payment - they get by scot free.

Years ago when my email was on the old hadit board I got countless emails from a vets wife here whose husband had-in my opinion - a bonafide prime facie case of malpractice under FTCA and 1151 against VA but he would not file the claims-

the wife kept emailing me what else they could do as they didnt want to sue the VA-

or file a claim under Section 1151-

yet she took the time to type long renditions of his lousy care-

If one does not take the steps to sue VA under FTCA over proven malpractice-they are just making it easy for the same doc or doctors to harm or kill another veteran.

[purple]

(((Berta)))

I cannot say that I understand because I haven't been in your place....but I can't say enough how sorry I am.

I'm outraged as well. I've seen (and been a victim of) horrible care at the Dayton VAMC as well. If I may, I'll share just one instance......

I have cardiac issues....I've had numerous EKGs, Holter monitor studies, etc done at the VAMC. They have told me they are all "normal". Since I always get copies of my records I've seen the test results myself. In the last 2 years I've only actually had 1 "normal" EKG out of about 10!!! The rest state some problems...a couple are serious. My PCP refuses to refer me to Cardiology. He just prescribes me Nitro and another med to control my heart rhythym.

Unfortunately I have several other instances...some worse; some not so bad.

It's such a wide-spread problem in the VA...."docs" (I use the term loosely) being unlicensed, residents and other students being unsupervised, and nurses performing the duties of "docs". I don't know what it is going to take to wake someone up.

[Berta]

I have asked two members of the House Veterans Affairs COmmittee to look into this and hold a hearing-to force the VA to reveal their statistics on wrongful deaths and malpractice to extent of causing more disability in the VA system.Obviously their stats wont jive with the facts.

It is (as I mentioned in a letter to Dr. Kussman as well-VHA)another example of "Shh" as recent H VAC testimony revealed how VA considers the suicide States of veterans ( Dr. Katz VHA- "shhh email")

If you are not getting the proper care and you know it-you might have to demand it.

We fought over Rod's PTSD care but allowed them to get by with one malpracticed event because it seemed they corrected those medical errors.

After he suddenly dropped dead in our barn (he had filed a 1151 claim himself)and I got his med recs and fully perused them and then got some medical texts and went to med libraries-I then knew the malpractice had been far more than I ever thought.

The VA almost killed his Vietnam buddy too and I got this vet 100% {P & T under 1151 -he didnt want to sue them.

They treat him real good now-but I realise that- (and Paul Sullivan VSC lawyer was shocked when I told him this)

that Sec 1151 claims allow malpractice to continue to occur-

it is only through a FTCA settlement that these doctors are disciplined (and that the VA has any actual stats on how many vets they harm or kill)

[Wings]

Berta, You said, "If one does not take the steps to sue VA under FTCA over proven malpractice-they are just making it easy for the same doc or doctors to harm or kill another veteran".

This is a serious bummer, guilt trip!! A lot of families seriosly grieve the unexpected death of their veteran, when they are finally able to get back on their feet (if they ever do), there isn't a whole lotts help and information about how to navigate a FTCA.

Maybe you should "specialize", and put information out there at VAMC --a How To Sue The VA Manual . . .

I had really bad dreams last night about Vietnam, and I wasn't even there! Strange and I'm not going to get into the details --but to think that those veterans survived the horrors of war, only to come home and be killed by a VA Doctor.

I agree with you --it's an outrage!!

I'm sorry you had to lose your husband like this, I really am.

You are a great advocate and have done so much good, for so many.

I think you may be one of the only Hadit members here who has ever won a Tort. Keep up the good fight!

~Wings

[carlie]

Wings,

I won a Tort -- but it took five years.

carlie

[shmojo]

Its a system wide problem, I doubt most VA doctors will even admit they worrk for the VA, since they are the joke of the medical community.

[Berta]

Wings-you hit the nail on the head-No one wants any of us to know about FTCA claims-

I only knew about them because I have been getting the VBM from, NVLSP since 1991.

And I sure never dreamed I would ever file a FTCA claim-I thought Rod would always be with me-

what hurts is that the General Counsel lied to me-he told me the doctors who malpracticed would be "reported" and I didnt check into how the VA reports them until just a year or so ago-

I was looking up a local vet's doctor's credentials at Healthgrades-

(the VA had knocked down this doc's opinion and we sent them the whole healthgrades report- the vet's IMo doc was a Real expert- he had ever done symposiums on the disability the vet had. The vet finally won his claim -)

Healthgrades had a price like 10 bucks for one report but additional reports were like 7 bucks -forget what-

I love a bargain so while I was buying the vet docs' report I also bought 2 reports of two VA doctors who did a lot of damage to Rod-

there was Nothing there to show they had been "reported" anywhere-but doctors themselves send healthgrades what they want posted-

when I realised these 2 VA docs didnt post they had been found negligent-it took me a lot more time to really find out the actual VA reporting procedures-they got by scot free

Here I thought for over a decade now that Rod's death prevented these docs from more malpractice-I asked the OGC in 1997 for an assurance that the docs would be penalized and they werent.

He doesnt have Peace with Honor yet at all-and I know there are other dead vets whose death was caused by VA and VA has not rectified that.

Others here have won torts too Adora-

and by the way- I could sure say all those nice things about you as well- you are a relentless advocate and you certainly have helped many many veterans!

Odd- I dream about Vietnam too once in a while-our daughter was there twice and Rod will never know that.

You are so right- how can we put men and women in harm's way (which can be stateside or at any point in the military- a dangerous place no matter what their MOS)and then they end up harmed or dead because of the very system their service has

justified.