Patient Advocate Story

[Capt.]

Hello All,

I wanted to share a Patient Advocate story and let some of you know that the PA is there for the Vet and did come to my aid recently. First to let you know that the VA PCP doctors can get information from the Veterans Benefits Administration. On my last appointment I brought in a new medical notebook, that I carefully put together, which had my Civilian doctors IMO's , test and opinions, treatment records. I also had the Service Medical Records and the VA Progress reports. I asked him why he did not put in the record that he did not want me to have a spa for my Peripheral Neuropathy, even though the Nuerologist and Podiatrist did and made prescriptions for it. I also asked him why my VA Dr. diagnosis , opthamology report on antherosclorsis was not there in the Progress Report. I also asked why a VA doctor wanted me to be checked out by a Rheumatologist for immune system problems but no appointment. Ok so I followed up and got the Progress Reports 3 days laterafter my appointment and it was unbelievable. Somehow he wrote in the notes that I brought in a 3 inch thick booklet of records , tests and that I believed all of my diseases were service related. He went on to add that I had a lawyer in such and such city and had been denied once and that I was going to use all of the evidence in my folder for an appeal. Huhhh!!!. He also added that he did not want me to use the spa even though it plainly says by the other VA doctor to continue with my hydrotherapy. OK , so now I have one doctor says I need it and another one says I don't.The progress note also had left out the VA doctor diagnosis of antherosclorsis. Ok ....so I picked up the phone and called the Patient Advocate in another city ,who also had access to the console notes and progress reports. His first words were . "what do these comments about your attorney and denial and an appeal have anything to do with treating you? I said I that I was glad he noticed that too. He said this is against protocol and that the doctor knew better and was not suppose to write this in the progress reports. He also asked where the report was for the antherosclorosis and I said I have the report. He said to fax it to him and he would have it put into the console reports. He also said he was going to talk to his boss and call me back. In about 4 hours I get a phone call from the patient advocate and he said his boss was also concerned by the doctors notes and said they would send me a form to sign and ask what I wanted to strike from the record concerning his report. I got the report and filled it out and have sent it to them. I will give a followup to him next week to see what the console Progress reports read and to what the Doctor said as they were going to caution him about what he can say in the reports and to tell him that I had called the PA on him. I also asked him if it was proper to let the doctor review the past records and including private doctors and he said absoulutely. He then suggested that I get a new doctor....hahahhah. but I have already fired one about 3 yrs ago to get this one and since it is just a small clinic, that I was running out of doctors.

Has anyone else had this type of treatement from a V A doctor and has anyone used the Patient Advocate like I did. I will say that the people could not have been nicer and were in agreement that the doctor has overstepped his duties and the way he is to treat me.I will give an update to this as it continues. God Bless, Happy New Year. NEVER GIVE UP. C.C.

[Capt.]

Hello Bronc.....thank you so much for the help and offer.... I am going to ask my lawyer about that next week on the writ and advance on the docket. I thought we had already done this but I cant remember now. This place is so awesome especially when a vet is sick and not thinking .....Its like 2 heads are certainly better than one.

God Bless, NEVER GIVE UP. C.C.

I am getting ready for the 60 minute special too.

[broncovet]

Captain..

Your welcome. Since you have a lawyer, I would recommend you take his advice, but it would not necessarily be bad to tell the lawyer that "some Veterans advocates" online suggested you file for an advance on the docket, or possibly a writ.

I would comment that I hope your lawyer is very experienced in VA law. I recall a lawyer commenting about VA law, especially in regard to the number of cases lost by lawyers. He suggests that many lawyers who represent Vets are not experienced in VA law, and it is a wonder they dont loose more.

You really need a VA lawyer, not a lawyer that did a will last week, a divorce the week before, and DUI's the week before that. I have a better chance of winning the Indianapolis 500 and I have never even sat in a race car, than an inexperienced untrained in VA law lawyer would have against the 300 or so VA lawyer wolves.

[Chuck75]

I'm not surprised at the referral situation you mention. There are numerous references to referrals in my VA records that were never actually made.

Hello All,,,,thanks John and Hoppy .....I hope this will post on the VHA directive 2007-024 Sept 11, 2007. If it won't could someone google it and please post this for all to see. Basically it is suppose to let the Veteran use outside medical documents to be used in their file. IMAGINE THAT......I keep getting the run around with getting my outside medical records used in the system and this PCP doctor that I have has done nothing but try and stall me and give me the run around. I had posted this awhile back and forgot about it , but as you can see the Doctors do have to follow these guidelines. I am going to talk to the patient advocate next week and find out why the doctor is not wanting to read the file and treat me and more important ,,,,,,give an opinion or a nexus. This borders on malpractice. How can they treat you without the whole record?

On another note I have a copy of my VA Progress Report from back in 2006 and it deals with my 3rd EMG and Electric Needle Nerve Conductivity reports all showing Peripheral Neuropathy of all extremities and the VA Neurologist states in the progress report that "I agree with Dr. xxxxxxx that this electrodiagnostic study shows evidence of a generalized sensory peripheral neuropath despit warming the limbs to 30 degrees Centigrade in the lower extremeties and 32 degrees Centigrade in the upper extremeties. AGREE THAT PATIENT WOULD BENEFIT FROM FURTHER EVALUATION REGARDING CAUSE OF SENSORY PERIPHERAL

NEUROPATHY. Ok so why is there no followup by the PCP doctor as to the CAUSE when it plainly says for one. I really dont want to make waves without my lawyers consent but I will bring this up next week or so to see if I fire the doctor or force the Patient Advocate to continue to press the issue for an diagnosis with opinion or nexus. Remember that my claim is at the RO with notice to reconsider and the deadline is April to send it to the BVA with the form 9. After you review the VHA directive then you will see why so many Veterans are being treated ILLEGALLY by their PCP. I am still waiting on them so we will see. I am going to visit with the lawyer and see if I can use the Patient Advocate to put in the records that the PCP and other VA doctors do not want to use. This might be a cause to help alot of veterans get their claims processed faster and to have the VA Doctors give Nexus reports for their patients. Wouldn't that be nice. I do have my foot doctor who has already written a nexus on the PN due to dioxin, Eylene, Nerve agents , asbestos. He also puts in the progress notes that I am able to have gainful unemployment which I did not ask him too. He said and has written in the progress reports all of this and that I will not be working much longer and I dont know what to make of that. Oh yes , Loma Bill , I too take albuterol and floradil , asmanex for restricted lung disease, VA diagnosis. (nonsmoker).Anyway folks thanks for your help and I am going to rest as this ear infection has gotten me really put back .....just getting over the foot infection from last month. Hoppy , I may try that technique if my lawyer says a go, John , I will try and post the denial letter when I get to feeling better as this is about as much as I can do today. I thought I had posted it here before once if you search for it. THANKS FOLKS FOR ALL YOU DO. God Bless, Happy New Year. NEVER GIVE UP. C.C.

[10thFO]

I've used the Patient Advocate a couple times in the last year. I was amazed at the help I was given. 1st situation was in getting my PCP clinic to send out my info to a fee basis doc, along with permission to see him. Seems that my referring doc had left, so they just lost my paperwork, or never checked it to send it over. By the time I realized this I only had 2 months left to get surgery, so I got them to extend it. Next time was just after my surgery, and PCP was telling me that they weren't responsible for my drugs or therapy. I got upset with the guy and the nurse, so I went back to the PA office, and sure enough 15 minutes later, I had it straightened out. Also they helped resolve an issue because the clinic told me i missed an appt, and would have to reenter the system. I had the letter with me that said the appt. was canceled.

In both instances I was as nice as I could be with PA's office and just explained to them that I really needed some help from someone, and to see if they could assist. I was very calm, and told them I was frustrated, that I couldn't get any answers. They told me that usually they get very irrate Veterans and while they can understand the frustrations it really doesn't help them. I witnessed four phone calls the first time I was in there, with two of them the lady being called a nasty name.

Also I witnessed how frustrated they got when they were ringing into the clinics office, and they said that often they won't pick up when they see their caller id number as they know it's going to usually be about something they screwed up.

So I have some empathy for most of them, I'm sure there are bad ones, but I have a friend that handles patient complaints at a private hospital, and she feels very bad for the patients, but she often gets hammered for something that someone else in the hospital screwed up. Those are high stress jobs.

[Capt.]

Hello 10th and Chuck,

Yes it pays to try and be nice even when they are not. I never loose my cool or temper at the clinic with them and I am not going to let them use that as an excuse to write into the progress notes that I am loose cannon. I am not going to say it won't happen but so far in about 10 yrs it hasn't. Now with the VA Regional office is a different story and I wrote them a hard as nails "your stupid and an idiot cannot read are incompetent, and I am going to continue to use this type of description of you until someone proves me wrong and so far noone has" letter. It caused more stir than any thing and I got phone calls from Washington and actually met some legitamate caring people so it worked that one time. The patient advocate I used was absolutely perfect, very sincere and I told him so. Sometimes we as veterans don't thank those within the system that really do CARE. He was very good and I hope some of these problems will be fixed. I could not have done it without him either.

I also want to make a correction on my post ....concerning the foot doctor(VA) did put in to the progress notes that I am UNABLE to find gainful employment, not able . He did not have to do that but knows what I am going thru and he is the one that first blew the alarm that there is really something wrong with this veteran. So not all VA doctors are out to screw the Veteran.

Hello 10th, I hope your experience is one better than mine has been but thank God for good Patient Advocates. They can and do make a difference even when the VA is not doing their job correctly or as my Patient Advocate told me ....... I am just doing my job..AMEN to that.

God Bless, NEVER GIVE UP. C.C.

[steve&pat]

[quote 'Capt.Contaminate'

Yes it pays to try and be nice

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Had a VA Dr appt. today= So I went to the PATIENT ADVOCATES office to warm a little fire under the FEE BASIS unit and maybe speed them up. We were talking about claims and might I need a little help gathering info at St Paul federal bldg.

She gave me a name and phone number (it rings at his desk ) of a person in veteran benifits at the va federal bldg who could maybe help. WHO WOULDA GUESSED?

I guess Ill do some more searching on my old 70- 80s records there.

PAT & STEVE