Va Document Reveals How The Agency Is "gaming" Veterans' Medical Appointments

[pacmanx1]

VA DOCUMENT REVEALS HOW THE AGENCY IS "GAMING" VETERANS' MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS

Lists 24 ways that VA employees are "gaming" the dates on medical appointments to make themselves look more efficient while veterans wait for health care.

NOTE from Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org ... I have been writing about the waiting list issue since 2004, and VA employees have only gotten better at "gaming" the figures to make it look like they are meeting appointment schedules ... when in reality, veterans are waiting for health care.

I detailed the use of log books for waiting lists before veterans could get on the electronic waiting list. That way, the original date requesting an appointment was not entered into the system. VA employees would wait until an appointment opened up (within 30 days) and then take the vet out of the log book and put them into the system, using that date as the date of request. This made it look like the VA had fulfilled their 30-day appointment commitment to the veteran.

In 2007, and again in 2008,VAOIG blasted the agency for their practices. You can find those reports and more information about waiting lists here ...

Now, William Schoenhard, VA's Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operation and Management, his issued a memorandum with an attachment that details 24 ways VA employees are "gaming" the appointment and waiting list procedures. The memorandum portion of the document is to the right ... click for larger view.

The problem with Schoenhard's document is that it a great learning tool for VA employees who wish to keep "gaming" the system. Schonehard even explains how "gaming" can be detected, thus giving employees warning to find a better way to hide their sins. The perversity of this is pointed out below in a commentary by Veterans' Advocate Jim Strickland.

Read it and weep. Just think of all the thought and time it must have taken to come up with these "gaming" ideas. This, while veterans waited for health care.

Remember, health care delayed is health care denied!

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by Jim Strickland

The Games People Play

Has it ever happened to you? Have you shown up for an appointment at your VA Clinic or Medical Center only to be told that you don't have an appointment? Tried to make a convenient appointment 2 months away and were told that the rules don't allow that? Is your appointment scheduled in an old fashioned log book rather than the computerized system VA uses? These are the games that are played with your appointment schedule.

The VA says that it takes pride in your care. The truth be known, VA takes even more pride in keeping score so that everyone looks good on paper. Thus, the system that keeps track of the performance of clinics and hospitals is "gamed" in ways that seem to annoy Mr. Schoenhard. "These (gaming) practices will not be tolerated." he tells his troops, "This is not patient centered care."

It's unfortunate that the VA doesn't get it. Any time there is a system as complex as the ones VA puts in place to ensure compliance with the rules, the users of that system are going to bend it to make it useful to suit their own goals. There is an inevitability about that process....more rules will always breed more infractions of the rules.

In this case Mr. Schoenhard has decided to express his angst by sending forth a memo telling all the schedulers at VA just how to better game the system. If they didn't already know how to cancel patients who aren't checked in 15 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment time, they know it now.

Don't get caught y'all..."These practices will not be tolerated." Oh sure...I can only imagine the message is loud and clear. As they read all those neat tips and tricks people throughout the VA Health system are wondering, "Jeez, why didn't I think of that?"

Found on http://www.vawatchdo...f062310-1-1.htm

Deleted some sites because they would not open.

[Pete53]

I know one of the games is to cancel appointment and say the Veteran canceled it and make a new one. Happens to me quite often.

[SLEDGE]

" I know one of the games is to cancel appointment and say the Veteran canceled it and make a new one. Happens to me quite often. "

I have had them schedule examinations on a day of the week when the clinic is not operating 3 times, at a facility 4 hours away, and then they claim that I missed the C&Ps.

I've had appointments canceled by letter and then have them claim that I missed it.

Sent me to an empty parking lot for another exam and then claim that I missed the appointment.

In my current case,

I will schedule an appointment at a time of the day that fits into my medication schedule.

At a time period where driving long distances will affect me the least.

The VA will call me to reschedule at a different time of the day on another day of the week.

I get changed from an afternoon appointment to an early morning appointment.

I can't really safely drive until after the lunch hour because of the sleep meds the night before.

So, in order to make the early morning appointment I must decline the sleep meds and end up staying awake most of the night.

In stead of being groggy from the meds I'm driving on a stiff dose of coffee or some other stimulant.

Stimulants do not go well with my mental health medications.

In essence, my mind and body react to this new scenario as if I have stopped taking everything and the sleep apnea is also not being treated.

And I get cheated out of some travel pay because another facility is closer.

They have pulled this on me twice in 2 months now.

Instead of simply encouraging me to seek treatment at the other facility they are messing around with my entire treatment plan and therefore my mental health issues on top of the travel pay issue.

This is a mental health appointment.

Since I have been transferred to a new therapist for each of my last 4 appointments, I guess it's time to take the hints and submit to the facility change.

I love it when a plan comes together.

sledge