Va Hospitals Make "5 Worst Government Services List"

[broncovet]

According to Fox News, VA Hospitals make the "5 Worst Government Services" list.

This is not news to Veterans, I personally think that the VA is over rated. For example, Professor Linda Bilmes has suggested the VA improve by adopting the IRS "Pay it Now" method to Veterans claims.

Video here:

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4254372/the-nations-five-worst-government-services/?playlist_id=87089

[broncovet]

Cool Breeze makes a good point, with his story about going to the Va and getting forgotten about in the hallway, while Xray closed its doors and went home.

Of course, nothing happened to those responsible...they went on and did something similar to the next Vet.

At my VA I needed Physical Therapy and the doc ordered it. The Doc said I needed PT right away or I could get a "contraction" where the muscles in my arm freeze and the arm becomes a useless appendage. So I called for an appointment and was told the secretary who schedules appointments was on vacation. There was no one else at the VA who could go into the computer and schedule a PT appointment! For 2 weeks!

When the secretary finally got back off vacation, I was told that there were no open slots, because she could not schedule an appointment later than 60 days and they were booked up full for 60 days!

I got mad and stormed into the big shot at the hospitals office. They said they would contact the manager of Physical Therapy. I gave him an earful, saying it was unacceptable. He said the doc put in an order for PT that was "routine", instead of priority like it should have been, because the computer automatically puts a priority of "routine" and it has to be changed. He also said this happens all the time, and, if the girl was not on vacation, she would have caught it. I said it was unacceptable for ONLY ONE person to know how to schedule appointments, that others needed to be trained. As far as I know, it is still the same way now. It is bad management, pure and simple, and it runs rampant at the VA.

[Pete53]

You need a witness and someone to advocate for you at any hospital you go to in my opinion.

Dallas VA has improved a lot since it was ranked as the worse VA and one Veteran called the Dallas Police to get him out.

Medical Care involves a team approach and the final say is the patients.

I have seen some really dumb things done by Hospitals that were not VA which means if you have a loved one going or in the hospital someone needs to be there to protect them at all times.

[caubulldog]

My Va Primary,Specialist,& Emergency care have been excellent to date.Just our Veteran Benefit Side sucks royally.

[john999]

If you go to a private hospital and they cut off the wrong leg you have lawyers beating down your door. At the VA not so much. They don't want to get bogged down in that system. You do need someone to watch out for you when you go in the hosptial. My wife hollered at them to get me pain meds when a private hospital cut my foot open. They left me there post op with no pain meds after cutting a hunk out of my foot. The first time they packed the wound with no pain meds in me I almost kicked the nurse in the face. I had poor care at that civilian hospital as well, but a very competent surgeon.

[COOL BREEZE]

CB,

Vets can sue the VA for mal-practice by way of filing a Federal Tort Claim and/or an 1151 VBA claim.

I did and won through mediation.

It's not a whole lot different than having to sue a private/regular hospital for additional

residual disability.

Thanks for that legal advice. This will help in case of a mal-practice with the VA. My thought was as the VA is federal, you are fighting the federal government which would take much longer than a civilian hospital for any lawsuits.

[COOL BREEZE]

I agree with Wings...the VA is my only source and I have to make it work. With 37 out of 39 VAMC's failing inspections, mostly for dirty medical equipment, I am more than a little bit nervous getting any kind of procedure done there. So, we have to choose between exposing ourselves to VA's dirty equipment, or forgetting about a needed procedure, such as a colonoscopy.

I think the VA was rated far too high on the 5 worst government services list. Did you notice one on the list was GM? GM is not a "government service"?

And I think the IRS is far better than the VA. Not that I am a big fan of the IRS, but they do get hundreds of millions of tax return checks out in a few months, and do so with a smaller budget than the VA. If the VA processed tax returns, there would be no getting your check back in 2or 3 weeks. You wouldnt get your check for 3-4 years, like most of us, and then only after an appeal as to why you deserved your tax refund check.

I find it interesting that even tho the IRS made number one on the 5 worst list, Professor Bilmes used the IRS as a model to improve the VA, suggesting Vets deserved their checks in 2-3 weeks after application, the way the IRS does it.

So the next time I have an appointment at the VA, I will surely ask them when the last time the equipment was cleaned, by who, and when. I noticed when I go to a medical appointment on base at a medical clinic they have all these signs posted with check off list for when the equipment was checked-they are very good with keeping everything sterile. Now the flu season is approaching, I am going to be extra vigalant when they pull out that needle.