Vamc Keeping C & P Examiner Credentials Secret

[vaf]

I learned something this morning, and thought I'd share it with everyone here.

I checked the State Board of Medical Examiners for the name of the "requesting physician" who recently conducted an orthopaedic C & P for a veteran I'm trying to help file a request for increase. I couldn't find the name there as an M.D., an N.P., a P.A., or anything else. A friend of mine then checked the national AMA website, and "Dr." Evans wasn't found there, either.

I then called the Patient Advocate's office at the VAMC where the C & P took place. The "Advocate" told me the following. No, this individual doesn't hold any medical licensing of any sort in this state. No, she won't tell me what his credentials are without his signed release. No, she won't tell me what state he IS credentialed in without his signed release. But, according to her, it's her job to make sure he is qualified to treat patients and perform C & P exams there, so I'll "just have to take her word for it."

I told her that I know for a fact several resident doctors I checked on were rotating there with expired state medical licenses, something she evidently was NOT aware of. I got this information from checking the state licensing website. I also told her that a veteran has the right to know the credentials of the "requesting physician" performing a C & P, and on anyone treating the veteran. If we knew what state this person was licensed in, we could check the appropraite website, the guy would be listed there and it's public information.

This really galls me. Who the hell is she advocating for, it sure isn't the veteran.

I told her that following this policy will invite challenges to C & P examinations, and that she is preventing access to public information.

[Berta]

Vicki- I had a heck of a time determining a VA doctor's license number but the state med board here found it for me.

I was under the impression that all of these C & P docs have to be doctors with unexpired licenses.

Who knows- many are not listed on the medical web sites-but still could be legit.

One thing I did that might help someone here-

I went to the Healthgrades site.

For a small fee- $7 bucks I think but it could have gone up---in helping a local veteran-we got a complete run down on a C & P doctor who-we found had no expertise whatsoever in the C & P exam field.

We also found he was a moonlighter for Workmen's comp claims.

At the same time (I think I got a break when I ordered 2 reports, I put his private doctor's name into healthgrades (the VA had knocked down his IMO with the moonlighter's opinion)

and found his doctor's credential's were far beyond the VA doctor's.

We submitted these printouts and also I found online where his private doctor had spoken at a big symposium on the same disability he had.As a headline speaker, we printed that out too -it indicated his expertise which he had not put into his first IMO.

Also his private doctor had prepared an additional IMO as the first one did not conform to what the VA needed. With the second opinion and the healthgrade printouts, it helped a lot and he did win his claim.

http://www.healthgrades.com/consumer/index...57557&SID=1

But this is why I recommend getting an IMO-

Although the VA ignored my first IMO, they got a VA "expert" opinion, that my second IMO knocked down.

Also if I need it I have info on the VA doctor's background that does not compare to my IMO doctor's.

When Dr. Bash prepared my second IMO he certainly pointed out the medical inaccuracies of the VA opinion and that the VA doctor offered no rationale for the opinion nor any background at all to give the VA opinion any credence.

He also highlighted his specific areas of expertise that made his opinion probative.

It sure pays when getting an IMO, to be sure that the IMO doctor-as Dr. Bash does-- fully complies with the criteria that VA wants:

Specific medical rationale for the opinion,

full consideration of all pertinent medical records,

a More than likely, or as likely as not statement ,

and-if it regards the SMRs- a clear statement of how the present disability is associated medically to the SMRs.

Edited October 26, 2006 by Berta

[vaf]

I finally reached the veteran's wife. She said the guy is an N.P. So now we have an N.P. of dubious licensure, information of which is being kept secret by the VAMC, performing orthopaedic C & P examinations.

Boy, am I going to have fun with this....

I've already recommended strongly that they consult a board certified orthopaedic physician to blow this guy out of the water.

Think I'll take another look at that VA mission statement...

[Berta]

GOOD FOR YOU!

I fully believe this is what many claimants HAVE to do-

either get an IMO to combat the quackola stuff or fight the opinion in any way they can!

If I have to do more to knock down the VA opinion I got- which Dr. Bash knocked down as well as me already-I will suggest that-based on the VA "expert's" opinion-if the VA did not kill my husband (documented) in their misdiagnosed malpractice statements in the FTCA award, then this VA C & P expert sure would have killed him- based on the opinion this doc rendered in an SSOC.

Sometimes you have to get tough.

I have gotten in older claims- some of the most bizarre medical crap I have ever seen.

Of course by then I had some medical background and could fight back with medical evidence from the med recs.

But why should a claimant have to study medicine to knock down a VA doctor's opinion?

When a claimant succeeds in knocking down medical crapola from the VA, as I did in my last claims-it seems to me that even though VA kept saying I was not "competent" enough to render medical opinions

(which proved my claims anyhow)

what competence do their doctor's show when they write some of this stuff that is "medically inaccurate" as my IMO doctor stated recently to the VA.

[Pete53]

I was give a nerve conduction test by a German who had not Graduated from College. He told me the VA did not have to use people with valid credentials. The test was supposed to be administrated by MD's bt the VA was short that week.

[vaf]

Pete, did you challenge the exam? Because that's what we need to do to cost the VAMC the additional time and money to redo a C & P exam to make it valid. That's the only way they will get the message to do it right the first time.

[bigjim]

I learned something this morning, and thought I'd share it with everyone here.

I checked the State Board of Medical Examiners for the name of the "requesting physician" who recently conducted an orthopaedic C & P for a veteran I'm trying to help file a request for increase. I couldn't find the name there as an M.D., an N.P., a P.A., or anything else. A friend of mine then checked the national AMA website, and "Dr." Evans wasn't found there, either.

I then called the Patient Advocate's office at the VAMC where the C & P took place. The "Advocate" told me the following. No, this individual doesn't hold any medical licensing of any sort in this state. No, she won't tell me what his credentials are without his signed release. No, she won't tell me what state he IS credentialed in without his signed release. But, according to her, it's her job to make sure he is qualified to treat patients and perform C & P exams there, so I'll "just have to take her word for it."

I told her that I know for a fact several resident doctors I checked on were rotating there with expired state medical licenses, something she evidently was NOT aware of. I got this information from checking the state licensing website. I also told her that a veteran has the right to know the credentials of the "requesting physician" performing a C & P, and on anyone treating the veteran. If we knew what state this person was licensed in, we could check the appropraite website, the guy would be listed there and it's public information.

This really galls me. Who the hell is she advocating for, it sure isn't the veteran.

I told her that following this policy will invite challenges to C & P examinations, and that she is preventing access to public information.

you go girl//bigjim