Prescott VA investigation (Phoenix, Tucson, Sedona: health care, teaching, areas)

[Ria Rhodes]

This article appeared in today's local Daily Courier:

Feds pursue local nurse's whistleblower complaint against Prescott VA
By T.M. Shultz, The Daily Courier

[Ria Rhodes]

Oops! remembered after my Prescott VA article post was made that I should have provided a URL link to the article - not the actual article. I apologize in advance to moderator(s) and readers. Anyway, I hope some local AZ vets that missed this in the media caught the article here. Again, sorry if this was an infraction of CDF posting rules.

[SedonaShadow]

You may read my response at the end of this article as I am a part of this sorry excuse for a health care system. As I mentioned, other areas of this country do not have these administrative problems. Time for Dr Angell to go!.

[Ria Rhodes]

Originally Posted by SedonaShadow

You may read my response at the end of this article as I am a part of this sorry excuse for a health care system. As I mentioned, other areas of this country do not have these administrative problems. Time for Dr Angell to go!.

I hope you see some resolution in your case that is fair.

I've been a vet of VA care for eighteen years across five states (GA/FL/NY/CA/AZ). I have had good and bad treatment. Mistakes have been made more than once in my treatment. Mistakes and inaccurate medical information was/is/continues to be scattered throughout my VA medical records. I was misdiagnosed as having a heart attack when I really had a collapsed lung, the VA gave me nitroglycerin pills and then an hour later said "not a heart attack" and sent me home. I continued to suffer for three days out of work, and then went to a private doctor (who I paid cash out-of-pocket for which I was not reimbursed) who diagnosed me correctly and got me readmitted back to the VA hospital where the mistakes were made. From my experiences, there is a wide variation of care across the VA network no matter what spin government and VA representatives may suggest otherwise. So..I feel for what you're going through.

I was fortunate I had my cardiovascular surgery at the Los Angeles Wadsworth VA hospital (where UCLA is a participating teaching hospital). My surgical outcome may well have been poorer at another VA facility.
From my VA experiences I sometimes wonder "how effectively would Americans run a universal health care plan?" Is there not something inherently in conflict within the American character, and the self-interests of American corporations that would not harm/sink universal health care in America while that same universal health care stays afloat in countries because they see health care for all citizens as a necessity and not as a government giveaway? In all this I see hypocrisy and the big questions involving moral ethics, financial interests and political will. It's really difficult to convey this to most Americans.

Here in the USA we may be made up of a population of basically well-meaning people, but so many amongst us are knuckledraggers when the subject turns to discussion of universal health care. Look what happened to Hillary for bringing it up.

[Coachn3]

As of November 23, 2009, the mess in Prescott VA continues to be an issue. All the problems listed in the article are stil there. My brother-in-law had a problem there with his leg and his medications and they mistreated him. He had to go to Tucson to get help to save his leg. When it came time for him to get a scooter, they dragged their feet, then gave him a used scooter, eventhough the VA was charged for a new one. When he presented them with a prescription from a doctor at a local pain clinic for medications, the doctors at the VA rewrote the prescription without seeing hiim and lowered his dosage. His PMCP never saw him until my wife went to her and introduced herself. Then the doctor only visited to see who my wife was and where she was from, never examined my brother in law. It is time that the Head of the VA Committee in Washington (Sen. John McCain from AZ) gets involved.

[smilinpretty]

i have only heard positive about the VA in Prescott. This really disturbs me.

[LinaJo76]

I have a couple of VA friends who go there and they have problems with it also. I still go to the one in Phoenix, when I first moved to Arizona. I kept my records there.