Ive worked for over 11 years for the VA as a physician. If I could get my care at the VA I would but am a civilian. There have been multiple studies showing that Veterans getting their care outside the VA are many times more likely to have unnecessary or not-indicated procedures.Sadly this is all $ driven. Also the outcomes are statistically better for index procedures done within the VA then outside. Ive had a number of patients see me and Ive told them I wouldn’t recommend a particular procedure then go and have the procedure done in the private sector. Invariably the outside physician tells the patient something to the effect that “the VA just didn’t want to take care of your problem”. The reality is really that the outside provider had boat payments to make. Another issue re bad press and the VA is that it will not aggressively counter false/inaccurate claims made by patients/detractors. In the private sector if a patient is inaccurately (or accurately) criticizing a hospital system they should be prepared for a letter from the hospital lawyer. That never happens at the VA and I can say, having been part of the investigation into some of the complaints, many highly publicized complaints made by patients were absolute fabrications. That said it isnt a perfect system- no system is. All VAs have a patient advocate in place to help patients with issues/grievances and I can say they do avidly advocate in the patients best interests. You wont find that in the private sector.
I had to consider your comment very carefully and overall, I can't agree.
Had the surgery on my back been done, it would have been done through Community Care at the local civilian hospital by a specialist that the V.A. doesn't have. Between the V.A. physicians and administrative I was just prescribed an abundance of pain medications.
The Community Care physician/surgeon was ready to schedule my surgery and to replace the deteriorated disc in my lower spine before my vertebrae fully fused together. After waiting several years. He called to tell me he was retiring and asked if the V.A. was going to approve the surgery. He retired. Everytime I discussed having my back surgery with my 8 different primary care providers over the course of 12 or 13 years at going to Mountain Home V.A. I was just provided higher doses of various pain pills. The specialist surgeon retired, I then went to Nashville, received the diagnosis my vertebrae were to badly fused together and now unable to be operated on and my disc would eventually progressivelycontinue to deteriorate over time.
My step-dad, retired Air Force, Vietnam Vet, worked ariund Agent Orange dispersement aircraft, was only approved 10% V.A. disability, required a heart monitor. The heart monitor wasn't approved by Mountain Home V.A. it took Tricare, Medicare and private insurance to pay for his heart surgery.
After his heart surgery he has been seen by his V.A. primary care who provided blood thinners, he has a V.A. heart doctor at Mountain Home who also prescribed the same blood thinner at a higher dosage, the V.A. heart doctor sent my step-dad to a Community Care heart specialist who also provided under a generic brand name the same blood thinner at a slight reduced dosage. His V.A.primary care physician assistant was replaced by another physician assistant primary care who prescribed the same blood thinner as the other 3 under a different brand name at a higher dosage than the other 3 of his healthcare providers.
The previous is only the starting point. He was taking 30 different prescription meds, 10 of those meds were repeated prescription for the same. 8 of the prescription were for relief of symptoms he never had.
Fast forward, my mom passed away unexpectedly, being the only single adult I was volunteered to look after him. Upon inspecting his meds, I went understatedly ballistic. Between number 3 son and myself getting in contact with all his Healthcare providers number 3 son and I got his meds reduced to 1 blood thinner, and down to 8 needed prescriptions. He is now doing a lot better.
As for the Patient Advocate, only one piss poor experience. Number 3 son, retired Navy Vet, 10% V.A. rating, Beruit, Gulf 1 and 2. A particularly excellent VSO was helping number 3 son to upgrade his V.A. rating. Number 3 son is also a long haul truck driver. He can only schedule V.A. appointments on his days off, which is only on Mondays. It is in his V.A. records his occupation is a long haul truck driver and can only be scheduled appointments on Mondays. The V.A. meticulously and intently scheduled his appointments on days he is working. Went to the VSO, VSO recommended to go see the Patient Advocate, and we did. He couldn't file a complaint until he was seen by a physician for his claim.
You are correct in that patients in the civilian world won't find a Patient Advocate. That's because in the civilian world patients can hire attorneys to sue the civilian medical administrators and physicians for malpractice. Vets have yet to be given the right to sue or hold accountable V.A. health professionals and administrators for malpractice.
suggested I make an appointment with the local VSO to revisit that finding. I did, and a few months ago I was granted a 100% service related rating. The VSO could not have been more helpful. For any of you who served in the Gulf War or GWOT, a number of health issues have now been determined to be presumptively service related. The contracted doctors and PAs I saw through that process clearly took it for granted that sucking down dust and oil fire smoke, and rucking and jumping out of tall airplanes likely left residual issues.
