Appointment Changes At The Va

[COOL BREEZE]

DELETED

Edited June 13, 2011 by COOL BREEZE

[COOL BREEZE]

Well, I certainly believe it!! Actually, one checkup per year is surprising me right at this very moment. I went for mine recently, including women's health, and was asked by my primary NP if I'd like to come in every two years from now on, instead of one. I said, no, I don't like!! I'm not trying to take up another one of their spots for somebody else that needs it, but I'm sick of them acting as if I have to beg for care, at the local VA clinic that I go to. I only go there once a year, to keep myself on the system, so they don't get any bright ideas to boot me off. I have mayor health problems, but I don't use the VA for that because now I have another means to take care of it. However, I've not always had other availability which is what prompted me to start using the VA, to begin with. But, I'm not chancing not having access if my other availability is lost, or if I'm denied needed care, as has also happened, and I've had to turn to the VA, temporarily, until the appeal of denials was favorable. I am grateful for what I have been able to get, especially, when I had no other health care available, but I'm super grateful that except for annual check, I can go somewhere else. In the not so distant past, when I had no other alternative but to go to the clinic, I was so grateful that the other means came through for me, shortly after I'd visited their clinic. I'd felt so ill, made an appointment to be seen, but failed to get the proper diagnosis. It turned out my complaints/symptoms were due to diabetes, which apparently I'd been walking around with for quite some time, but it was a doctor at an immediate care facility that finally diagnosed it when I became so sick, I took myself over there, even though just three days earlier I had been seen at the VA for the exact same symptoms. It was a good thing that I didn't simply take the VA doc's word for it that she couldn't note anything was the matter. I still can't figure out how it was missed, although, the diagnosing doctor had an idea, which still boggles my mind. So, I do wonder, what else is new?

You so correct. Quite a few vets will be dis-enrolled from the VA for not going at leas once a year. This happened to me. It took me 5 years before I figured why I couldn't get an appointment. Oh, i'm sorry, we have to sit you up with a physical to re-enroll you before you you see a regular doctor for any other appointment. And if we don't see you at least once a year, you will out of luck. I don't know if this is for vets under 50%, or what is the criteria. Bottom line, make sure you are in for an appointment at least 1 year before your last appointment.

[cooter]

How is this going to work with the thousand's of homeless Vets! Alot of them can't even afford a cellular phone. Jesus, what next can they pull out of thier magic hats!

[GoldDvlDog]

Let's do some math... COOL BREEZE posts that you can pick up a copy of the book at ebay for $6.95 ea. http://cgi.ebay.com/...=item43a709ed70 . Using the VA's numbers, http://www.va.gov/ve..._Population.asp , there are 22.7 million veterans as of 9/30/2010. If we all get a new copy of the book, under this cost cutting VA program...??? That equals a lot of money that could be used for the care of veterans...

Once again... things that make you go hmmmm.... your right ... this is crazy.. I think they are trying out our current administrations tactic of spending our way out of debt. Just in the books alone it will cost tax payers $158 million dollars just in the cost of books.. granted they get a bulk contract discount so say like $123 million. How can you cut spending by spending more. Also you got to think about all the new I.T. cost and communications revamping costs to implement this new program. Then they have to pay to train va employees on the new system. And they say there is a lack of doctors... $158 million dollars is enough to put 1 new doctor or 2 in every va clinic around the U.S. And thats not includeing the other money they could save by not haveing to redo their entire I.T. system. So its probably more like 2-3 doctors per va clinic they could employ. In my opinion why should we have to pay for the V.A.'s mistakes in there own bureaucracy they are so back logged and under bugeted because they did it to themselves. instead of trying to find ways to avoid the inevidable (seeing patients) and hopeing vets will walk away from the system they need to DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM AT THE SOURCE! Vets in need of medical attention! Dont reschedule us, dont give us a book and say help your self, dont send us down the bureaucratic poop shoot help us! What is the US comeing to... I am a proud veteran, proud of my country, proud of my family... and its sad that I cant say the same about the V.A./government. I am a veteran with Progressive M.S. im still holding on to my current job for as long as I physically can due to private insurance. The last time I went to the va they told me all the doctors were going to be out untill October and they had to reschedule my appointment and that if I would like i could see a nurse. Now I know why. Also I got told that my local formulary does not carry my M.S. injection meds and that the main formulary told them I will have to get them from a 3rd party because it would cost them to much to ship it..... hmm more over spending.. instead of just shipping it paying the 35 bucks.. now the va will have to pay a 3rd party full price wich is over 1k a month. Hence why im still on private insurance lol.

[Commander Bob]

How is this going to work with the thousand's of homeless Vets! Alot of them can't even afford a cellular phone. Jesus, what next can they pull out of thier magic hats!

Edited May 30, 2011 by Commander Bob

[GoldDvlDog]

haha too funny lol

[COOL BREEZE]

What really irritates me about this whole issue that started this thread - I originally called the main VA hospital to ask for an appointment for a procedure. i was transfered to the appointment line for a surgery clinic that told me that I had to schedule an appointment with my own doctor at a satellite clinic, which I did. He referred me to the same clinic. Saturday I received a letter from the VA that said "this is not an appointment for a surgical procedure, this appointment is to discuss the case with a surgeon and develop a treatment plan.

What the heck, why did I have appointment #1 for if it is takes the same route as getting a claim decided? When I called the foot clinic a few months back to ask for an appointment with that clinic, no problem. So, maybe I should bring this 500 pages of self medical care to the clinic and ask if this is what you are going to use to develop a treatment plan to remove all these skin lesions, growth disorders, ect. If I did this myself I would have had a serious infection. Perhaps this is another way of discouraging VEtS from getting proper medical treatment by either throwing a self medical book at you, or scheduling you for unnecessary appointments that could have better used for other Vets.