Primare care issue

[slangpdx]

Anyone who has experience or thinks they can help please advise.  Went to primary care Dec 4, clinic 15 miles away outside Portland OR, five hour round trip with visit.  Saw new doc for first time.  45 minute appt.  After telling me he was sure I was going to die of cancer (not his call or specialty or place to say) and needed also to be on a statin*, he decided I was too healthy to need any lab work at all and so ordered none.  First time in 30 years none were ordered.  I asked for PT referral for shoulder, then found out he put 'CID' date of Jan 16 instead of 30 days out, which schedulers said "had to have been a mistake" but there was nothing they could do, I did not qualify for community Tricare referral because it was outside the 30 day window.  I do not believe it was an error.  

For the record I am probably one of the healthiest people seen at any of these places due to my own efforts, and have been told that by a previous doc.  I use the labs ordered at the VA to monitor my health, and spotted triglycerides spiking to 400 once because of an antidepressant they had me on which the doctors of course said nothing about and deny the drug was the cause of it (last level was 47, started dropping immediately after quitting the drug).  He also said about my Air Force service "did they even have planes at that base?" which I interpret as an attempt to denigrate my service (for the record I spent almost all 4 years on a flightline in the dark and cold on a remote base exposed to diesel fumes, which we are now learning have their own health risk.)  

This is only the last in a long series of encounters that I feel are plainly abusive.  I have been determined to be mentally disabled by 4 gov't agencies including SS and the VA, with a 70% rating.  I asked for a new doc at primary care and got this one.  I have been on the list to transfer to the main hospital 5 min. away for 3 years and have only made it to #242 from about 600.  I want to document all this in a letter to the clinic manager and ask for yet another doc assigned.  I waited a year for this appt.   I asked for the PT referral in the ER weeks earlier and they would not give it, said I could only get it from primary care.   Again, this is just the last in a long series of issues.  The Portland VAMC advocate office has a sign with a list of things you are not supposed to do in that room; at the top is "Hitting", so apparently a lot of vets get upset to the point of violence with what is happening with them.  Who do you take concerns to outside of the local VAMC?

* I do not need a statin for various reasons, including the fact that according to a different VA doc CT scans show my arteries completely clean of any buildup, and I had a CRP test done outside the VA (they will not do one) showing no systemic inflammation coming from arteries or anywhere else for cholesterol to glom onto and my levels are not that high to begin with.  Primary care has been telling me I need to be on one for six years and the guidelines they use are manipulated; for those not aware they can have extreme side effects including dementia and irreversible muscle atrophy.  I am 5'10" and weigh 135.  

[seminoles]

I have community based primary care and there is a VA CBOC within 25 miles of my house, and they are accepting patients..........I have that because my primary care doctor was a jerk.  I didn't even have to ask for outside care, apparently this is a thing now? Choice is gone and they are combining all the outside care into one big bundle.  I would go straight to your nearest patient advocate and ask for  non va care for primary care ASAP.  It is an undue burden to ask you to travel so far for primary care, ridiculous honestly.  I wouldn't put up with it even IF the doctor were decent.  I have begun refusing to travel the 6 hour round trip crap to the regional hospital because it does place an undue burden upon me.  I cannot ride the DAV van or shuttles, I cannot drive myself and  my husband cannot take off work repeatedly losing pay to do so, he already has to take off way too much work to care for me as it is.  So, they send me locally to non va care.  I will only travel for my neuro because he only requires it once a year and the others he does by phone and via secure messaging so I don't have to travel too much.  He is great.  I have telehealth at home for some things as well.  It is basically just video conferencing your doctor over your phone, super easy.  No equipment needed.  Why they don't do that for most things that don't involve them needing to touch you, because let's face it they rarely do. I have no idea.

[doc25]

3 hours ago, seminoles said:

I have community based primary care and there is a VA CBOC within 25 miles of my house, and they are accepting patients..........I have that because my primary care doctor was a jerk.  I didn't even have to ask for outside care, apparently this is a thing now? Choice is gone and they are combining all the outside care into one big bundle.  I would go straight to your nearest patient advocate and ask for  non va care for primary care ASAP.  It is an undue burden to ask you to travel so far for primary care, ridiculous honestly.  I wouldn't put up with it even IF the doctor were decent.  I have begun refusing to travel the 6 hour round trip crap to the regional hospital because it does place an undue burden upon me.  I cannot ride the DAV van or shuttles, I cannot drive myself and  my husband cannot take off work repeatedly losing pay to do so, he already has to take off way too much work to care for me as it is.  So, they send me locally to non va care.  I will only travel for my neuro because he only requires it once a year and the others he does by phone and via secure messaging so I don't have to travel too much.  He is great.  I have telehealth at home for some things as well.  It is basically just video conferencing your doctor over your phone, super easy.  No equipment needed.  Why they don't do that for most things that don't involve them needing to touch you, because let's face it they rarely do. I have no idea.

 

3 hours ago, slangpdx said:

Anyone who has experience or thinks they can help please advise.  Went to primary care Dec 4, clinic 15 miles away outside Portland OR, five hour round trip with visit.  Saw new doc for first time.  45 minute appt.  After telling me he was sure I was going to die of cancer (not his call or specialty or place to say) and needed also to be on a statin*, he decided I was too healthy to need any lab work at all and so ordered none.  First time in 30 years none were ordered.  I asked for PT referral for shoulder, then found out he put 'CID' date of Jan 16 instead of 30 days out, which schedulers said "had to have been a mistake" but there was nothing they could do, I did not qualify for community Tricare referral because it was outside the 30 day window.  I do not believe it was an error.  

For the record I am probably one of the healthiest people seen at any of these places due to my own efforts, and have been told that by a previous doc.  I use the labs ordered at the VA to monitor my health, and spotted triglycerides spiking to 400 once because of an antidepressant they had me on which the doctors of course said nothing about and deny the drug was the cause of it (last level was 47, started dropping immediately after quitting the drug).  He also said about my Air Force service "did they even have planes at that base?" which I interpret as an attempt to denigrate my service (for the record I spent almost all 4 years on a flightline in the dark and cold on a remote base exposed to diesel fumes, which we are now learning have their own health risk.)  

This is only the last in a long series of encounters that I feel are plainly abusive.  I have been determined to be mentally disabled by 4 gov't agencies including SS and the VA, with a 70% rating.  I asked for a new doc at primary care and got this one.  I have been on the list to transfer to the main hospital 5 min. away for 3 years and have only made it to #242 from about 600.  I want to document all this in a letter to the clinic manager and ask for yet another doc assigned.  I waited a year for this appt.   I asked for the PT referral in the ER weeks earlier and they would not give it, said I could only get it from primary care.   Again, this is just the last in a long series of issues.  The Portland VAMC advocate office has a sign with a list of things you are not supposed to do in that room; at the top is "Hitting", so apparently a lot of vets get upset to the point of violence with what is happening with them.  Who do you take concerns to outside of the local VAMC?

* I do not need a statin for various reasons, including the fact that according to a different VA doc CT scans show my arteries completely clean of any buildup, and I had a CRP test done outside the VA (they will not do one) showing no systemic inflammation coming from arteries or anywhere else for cholesterol to glom onto and my levels are not that high to begin with.  Primary care has been telling me I need to be on one for six years and the guidelines they use are manipulated; for those not aware they can have extreme side effects including dementia and irreversible muscle atrophy.  I am 5'10" and weigh 135.  

The VA podiatrist I was seeing over the past three years diagnosed me with flat feet, which he concured with an in-service diagnosis from 2006. Yet, two weeks ago, I asked him what the difference between congenital flat feet and acquired flat feet was? He flat out denied I even had flat feet from service or that he diagnosed flat feet. I even showed him his own note and my in-service diagnosis. Denied again to my face. Incompetentance is systemic with many VA docs. I will say there are docs that try.

[vetquest]

I feel your pain sir.  I believe the Portland VA is probably one of the most incompetently run.  Spent ten years in Portland myself.  I would try speaking to the patient advocate and if that does not work write your congressman or senator.  I was black listed at the Portland VA after telling a doctor I was going to make him feel my pain after he asked me three times to describe my pain and then telling me each time I was not describing pain correctly in a very condescending way.  Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

[Dot09]

I would tackle each problem by severity.. your post is all over the place. 

“After telling me he was sure I was going to die of cancer (not his call or specialty or place to say)”

1) Do you currently have cancer or are in remission? What type of cancer?

“ I use the labs ordered at the VA to monitor my health, and spotted triglycerides spiking to 400 once because of an antidepressant”

https://www.cardiosmart.org/Heart-Conditions/High-Cholesterol/High-Cholesterol-Home/Very-High-Triglycerides

she had to run a blood test to see where your triglycerides are at. Your levels are high. I posted a link explaining triglycerides. 

“* I do not need a statin for various reasons, including the fact that according to a different VA doc CT scans show my arteries completely clean”

you do need to be on a statin with your levels that high or lowering your triglycerides.

 

 

[Berta]

 

“After telling me he was sure I was going to die of cancer (not his call or specialty or place to say) and needed also to be on a statin*, he decided I was too healthy to need any lab work at all and “

 

My question too as well as Dot9's -Do you have a diagnosis of any type pf cancer?

 

 

  “I use the labs ordered at the VA to monitor my health, and spotted triglycerides spiking to 400 once because of an antidepressant they had me on which the doctors of course said nothing about and deny the drug was the cause of it (last level was 47, started dropping immediately after quitting the drug)”

 

What was the name of the anti depressant?

 

Untreated High Trigycerides can cause death , and you said your reading went down to 47- but I dont see the reason he said he was sure you would die of cancer.

 

 

 " Who do you take concerns to outside of the local VAMC?"

 

White House Hot Line 1-855-948-2311

 

Office of Acountability and Whistle Blower Protection *

 

I have utilized both of these entities above, with evidence and my OAWB complaint is under investigation.

 

I am preparing a different complaint on a different issue- ( the incompetent C & P exams we get)

and am still collecting evidence on that.

 

Statin- my doctor is thrilled with my Tryglicerides- (84) and my height and weight is the same as yours- still the only prescription I take is for 2 statin pills a week.

 

Two or maybe three theories I proved for my FTCA wrongful death case was using the VA Lab reports of my dead husband.

Even though I am in excellent health, I still get annual blood work done.

I am astonished at your complaints here-this doctor might not even be a VA employee at all (I posted the link to the VA Contractors here any time- you can look up their name-

 

Obviously you might have basis for a Section 1151 claim, if those high triglycerides damaged your system, in any ratable way, and you can prove the med caused this.

But VA is takng away our 1151 and FTCA rights by hiring these contracting doctors- and other medical people-who are not liable for malpractice claims via VA. Therefore the contractor would have to be sued in Federal Court.

 

Of the 3 main contracting firms, one of them on their web page, state one benefit of being a medical contract with VA or is the "low" level of liability. Just read the Tally Case available here under a search. Mt Tally was 0biviously malpracted on- OGC agreed- but his " VA Doctor" was Not a VA employee at all- and his SOL ran out before he learned of that from the OGC. 

* VA Office of Accountability and Whistle Blower Protection

https://www.va.gov/accountability/

You can call them but email is better -they do not accept snail mail.

You can attach evidence to the email.

I am  concerned that you mentioned Tricare, as that has it's own crteria- but still the fact that this doctor suggested you had cancer and refused to orer a blood test- is more than enough to complain about-

You might get results fast if you document this to the " clinic manager" and tell him/her that you believe the only recourse you have is to formally conplain to the White House Vetrans Hot Line and to the OAWB.Unless they do something about it.

Make your written complaints as brief as possible,  and send then any evidence you have to support them.

 

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Berta