Not Sure If This Is The Right Place

[Steppenwolf]

I feel it is important to remember, be aware of and keep in mind that,

all of the positive and all of the negative service's provided by the VA

are also provided in the private sector.

It's not just the VAMC's knocking on veteran's, it's the entire medical system.

jmho,

carlie

i don't disagree with you on that point Carlie. But what does that fact do for me? Does it make my difficulties dealing with the VA any better knowing that the whole health care system in this country is pathetic?

The other day i couldn't get anything done anywhere, not at Home Depot, Walmarts, The Town Hall....everywhere i stopped i felt a little like i did when i was stationed overseas and couldn't get things done for any number of reasons. Here i am in the USA and i'm just out of step with everyone. Decided to call it a day, came home took a pill and kicked back and quietly watched the TV. On comes this show about millionaires going "undercover" so to speak to see how the poor and disenfranchised live. Then after a week of living amongst the poor the make some decisions on who is worthy to give a large sum of money. It's not that i can't recognize people who have it worse off than me. It got me all choked up to see what some Americans have to deal with; let's not forget the thrid world and beyond. But the worst of the worst didn't change the fact that the VA in the new state that i live does not have their phone system set up for calls from outside the state. So it took me 10 days of calling the main number, asking for pharmacy, hanging on hold to some point that the system automatically cuts you over to voicemail for a message for them to call you back. Doesn't say when they'll call you back, doesn't ask for the RX number and last four, doesn't do what an idiot could do; you just have to wait. If they call you back and get a phone message the tell you to call them back again and the same process starts again. Is this a simple problem that should be fixable in a short period of time? You would think so.

Finally got to speak with a person, she ordered everything that was do. i got over a period of several days starting about a week after the call, everything that was do that i really didn't NEED, two scripts for a nasal spray for a doctor that i don't know for who knows what, but didn't get what i REALLY needed. i had to go to a pay phone to get the 800 number to accept my call, put the RX number in and it was indeed fillable which means it fell through the cracks somehow and i don't have a clue how to address the problem.

The patient advocate was yelling at me to take more control over my relationship with the VA, to be more "proactive". Okay. Spell it out. i want it in writing what i need to do to help the VA?

On the day that i had an appointment at the VA 1:20 to 2:00 drive, the same day i went to the PA only to have him yell at me.

( And i get the feeling that they know what will happen if you yell back so you bite your tongue so you don't wind up in the lock-up 9th floor, or with the local police station for whatever they can drum up to define your actions ) So i walk down to the Pharmacy, the numbering machine is broken so you ask a few people which line is for what and wait. My turn comes and i am very curtious and polite. This lady has no idea how the PA rattled my cage and how long I had been waiting for my meds. i tell her about the phone system not taking my out of state cell phone number paid for by a family member, and about all of the call backs. She leans forward and tells me that at the end of the day when she's ready to go home the VA boss in pharmacy gives her 10 or 15 numbers to call. She said, " I might have been the person who called you back " She sends me down to the phone person in the pharmacy who tells me " It's not so easy to change things becuase the system is bigger than you think " He gives me a flier and writes 2 numbers on it that are not part of the printed material. "This number" he points to the first number that he wrote " Works just like the 800 number but you have to pay for the call if you're not in the area " No problem. But why is THAT number not mentioned when the 800 number informs you that it will not accept a call from your area code, or better yet, why is it not on the Flier? And why is it not on the bottle?

A simple fix has left me without my meds for several weeks now. Oh, and BTW. This now resets my renew date...no refills before it's time.

So clearly there are some screwed up things happening in the world. i can hardly get this one addressed let alone fixed. i don't have a second choice for health care. This is all that i've got.

And once again i have to ask: Where is the VETERAN's bail out?

[MikeR]

I would like to see a doctor that can speak English. A bunch of us were at the Mental Health clinic waiting and a Doctor came out and said a name and no one knew what he said. I said "what??" and he actually jumped, then he tried a little harder and found the right person. I am glad he did not do my C&P as there are situations appropriate to our culture that he might not grasp.

[Pete53]

There is no excuse for the VA to hire anyone who cannot speak understandable English. I guess it would be ok if they had no public contact or interaction with patients.

[john999]

I feel like if you can get into the system and get a decent PCP then you can get pretty good care at the VA in general. I would not want them to do a triple by-pass on me. That I will pay for via medicare and my insurance.

[jbasser]

I would like to see a doctor that can speak English. A bunch of us were at the Mental Health clinic waiting and a Doctor came out and said a name and no one knew what he said. I said "what??" and he actually jumped, then he tried a little harder and found the right person. I am glad he did not do my C&P as there are situations appropriate to our culture that he might not grasp.

I would too but to be as truthful as I can be. You dont want just american doctors. There is a major shortage of doctors and they get to pick and choose where they practice. We have to have the other doctors.

J

[Pete53]

The Dallas VA has gotten a lot better than it used to be. I usually don't have to wait to long for consults and to make a Doc appointment. All of the employees are much friendlier and if you look like you are having a problem finding something the employees will often stop and ask if they can help you.

Monday I had a stress test in nuclear medicine and my wife who has had a fierce hatred for the VA asked me if she could use it cause it had gotten a lot better.

I still would not want a major operation done there and the Pharmacy still sucks except last time I saw shrink he gave me a new med and by the time I walked to pharmacy it was ready. The shrink did not seem rushed and gave me time which also seemed unusual.

I hope that the VA is getting better for all of us.