Va Choice Card = More Va Lies

[Vync]

I tried to use the VA Choice Card and found out that the only people making a choice is the VA. The card is aptly named.

My VAMC is lying to patients and scheduling them as walk-in's instead of bonafide appointments.

After being hospitalized out of state, I was discharged and instructed to see my primary care doctor within 7 days. I called my VAMC primary care clinic last week. They said the earliest appointment was three weeks out, but when informed about "the date medically determined by my physician" being within 7 days, they could suddenly see me one day next week. I received the robo call appointment reminder the night before my appointment. After arriving early for my appointment and checking in at both the kiosk and the clinic desk, I ended up waiting about five hours before being seen (despite being in priority group 1, 100% P&T). I checked periodically and was told I would be seen "soon".

I asked the doc what took so long and was told I was classified as a walk-in and did not have an appointment.

Has this happened to anyone else?

VA Choice Card

http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact/index.asp

You have been told by your local VA medical facility that you will need to wait more than 30 days from your preferred date or the date medically determined by your physician

Actual wording of the law

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-113publ146/pdf/PLAW-113publ146.pdf

Sec101 (B)(2) the veteran—

(A) attempts, or has attempted, to schedule an appointment

for the receipt of hospital care or medical services

under chapter 17 of title 38, United States Code, but is

unable to schedule an appointment within the wait-time

goals of the Veterans Health Administration for the furnishing

of such care or services;

[63SIERRA]

I've waited months for appointments in Phoenx, Vegas and Portland only to have them call morning of and cancel - they then wrote it down as a "no-show" until I called and argued it.

They treat the ER as a day clinic and jaded ER staff are in no hurry to process the mountain quickly.

I came up with a saying for the awful San Francisco hospital: "Don't go to the VA unless you can STAY all DAY."

The VA is the epitome of a soulless, heartless, union-infested bureaucracy that should be shut down.

it seems like every other time I go to my va, there are patients in the ER waiting room arguing with the nurses and clerks, they try to send everybody that doesnt come in on a stretcher to thier Primary care provider. I seriously doubt that veterans are going to the ER to get expediated service, they are going because they really feel like its an emergency. The patient should have access to an emergency doctor in a timely manner, and then the emergency doc should triage, and decide if it would be better to treat the patient themselves or send them to the primary care teams. The Honorable so far Sec McDonald should wear a disguise like a beard and glasses and go sit in the waiting area near the emergency intake at different hospitals and get a good view of how vets are being treated. Also go sit in the waiting rooms of the primary care teams, and see that operation/

[georgiapapa]

63SIERRA,

Your idea would be a great episode on the TV series "Undercover Boss."

[63SIERRA]

The nurses in the ER DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABT THE PATIENTS HEALTH TO MAKE THE DECISION TO SEND THEM TO THIER PRIMARY......

For example, a patient goes to the ER with a bad headache. Patient has a history of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and a previous mild stroke. Er nurse makes an uninformed decision to tell patient to go to his primary, where he or she may sit for 1 hour, to 5 hours. Patients brain is getting severe IRREVERSIBLE damage, as they sit in the waiting room waiting on thier doc, because he is now having a major stroke. Many ilnesses can be lessened if immediate care is given. The nurses need to give veterans the benefit of seeing the ER doc, nurses dont have the training, or time to know the patients treatment intracacies.

Edited January 9, 2015 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

63SIERRA,

Your idea would be a great episode on the TV series "Undercover Boss."

yeah he could sit in there like columbo in a trench coat with A newspaper , covering his face .

once he finds out what he wants to know, then he can announce what he did. After that, issue every veteran a trench coat and free newspapers.

Edited January 9, 2015 by 63SIERRA

[63SIERRA]

Going to the Regional Offices in disguise might cause him to throw in the towel when he sees what a dysfunctional, circus that is . They might lose his newspaper if he sets it down, or shred it.

Edited January 9, 2015 by 63SIERRA

[Notorious Kelly]

My experience is Primary Care docs can't see you same day so they suggest you go to ER- that's why I say ER is a walk-in clinic.

The ER personnel resent this and take their sweet time 'treating' walk-ins.

I writhed around on the seats of Portland Oregon VA ER for hours for what turned out to be kidney stones.

When the pain subsided, I walked out disgusted.