Menu
Login
I am a combat-wounded Veteran, 60% disabled.
I have a bad knee.
When I could afford health insurance, I was treated by the Mayo Clinic, the world's best!
Now that I have to find care where I can, I tried the VA. Four times I saw doctors at two different VA's. Four times they misdiagnosed and mis-treated the knee.
The urgent care at Minneapolis was filthy. The washing soap dispenser had been ripped from the wall, the floor was a mess with dirt and dust in the corners, there was an ear examining piece laying in the dust behind the exam table, and the butt-cheek marks from a previous patient were still in the paper cover of the exam table. When the nurse came to draw blood, she intentionally broke the glove, which is a huge violation of protocols. (There are reasons they are required to put those gloves on in the first place.)
They lost a full set of medical records I requested, stating they had sent them via the postal service. I checked with all the post offices between me and them as well as the paths the postal managers told me to check: no records. Oh, did I mention that they have completely lost a third of my records? Gone, forever, not to be found anywhere.
When I asked for a referral for my knee back to Mayo Clinic, which isn't that far away, they refused. Let's make it clear, it took them three weeks to get my request to the doctor. Then the doctor referred it to the medical director. Two weeks later I still hadn't heard anything back. I called again. The doctor finally left a voice message for me, telling me my request had been denied. He asked me to call him back, which I did, leaving a message for him to call me. After the next weekend, I get a call from some young woman asking me if I left a message for the doctor to call me. I can't believe it! They actually hire people and make up office protocols to create extra busy-body work. What a waste. This organization is a bunch of federal employee bureaucrats first, and medical personnel second.
I can't wait for the national health care system where we can pick our doctors. They can then dis-ban the VA health care system and use those funds for the national system. I just don't think my knee will make it those 3-4 years.
I have many other examples. I'm just concerned that if I put them all in one posting, people will think I'm making this stuff up. I'm not. The Minneapolis facility hires people who can't even spell the simplest of words, people who don't even know what HIPPA is, and have a culture that succeeds in lowering the bar of quality as compared to even keeping it at a previous level. Having been in corporate management, I can tell you, that facility suffers from many problems and the environment that current management has instilled is one of the worst issues.
I am a Registered Nurse. My best friend died after approximately two weeks in the care of the St. Cloud VA Center, which is not a hospital but a long term care facility, despite the name. He was under their care for two days, where he suffered cardiac arrest, spent ten days in a local hospital, and then returned to the St Cloud VA Center where he subsequently died two days later. I voiced numerous concerns about his care to nursing staff the day he died, to no avail...tried to get him transferred to the VA Hospital in MPLS and was denied. Have recordings to this day of him being scared . I was going to drive the two hours the next morning, but received a call he was already dead. It is truly disgraceful. As a nurse, I honestly wouldn't allow my dog to be cared for by the St. Cloud facility.
Minneapolis VA - Brought my son in to ER, he was suicidal. A social worker came in and started asking him the most ridiculous questions, she looked at me and said "you can see I'm pushing his buttons, I'm doing that for a reason" I said watch out, he has high anxiety, depression and anger issues. I don't think it's a good idea to be pushing buttons, we are here for help, tell us what our options are. She asked him to explain his anger, he said "I feel like ripping that sink out of the wall right now" she continued with the questioning, antagonizing, demeaning. My take after listening to her was she seriously thought my son was making this up. The sink came out of the wall, along with a few other things. So the care we received at the Minneapolis VA was a social worker who thought she was a Psychiatrist. Where do they get these people?
I just had a colon scope at the Cincinnati VA hospital and everything was real good until time to be discharged. The discharging nurse continued telling me to wake up and as soon as I did told me to get my cloths on and was not even asking me if I wanted anything to drink until my daughter ask her if I could have something to drink. I was given a small glass of ice water which I drank on the way out as I was trying to walk even though I was still not completely awake from being sedated. This type of rush, rush treatment is completely unethical from a facility that is SUPPOSED to being very caring for their veteran patients. Prior to using the VA years ago when I had a surgery the nurse in recovery never continued to tell you to wake up and was nice even to ask you if wanted something to drink prior to having you get up and dress. Sooooo very disgraceful on the part of the VA and how they treat VETERANS !
As far as on the "Hill" We need a complete house cleaning of all government offices. But the subject here is the lousy medicial care of VA hospitals. If the care was as "They" say (quality veterans care) I'm so sick just from hearing that over and over.Why don't the politician's go there. Quality pay checks to the employees maybe would be closer. My father went only to the VA hospitial for the last 30 years of his life. And was at theVA hospitial almost once a month. The doctors there told him he had Cancer six weeks before he died of it. Is that neglect or what. Of all the x-rays and tests the VA hospitial had done to him over all those years. And they don't see anything till six weeks before he's dead, YEA RIGHT! I guess the VA hospitials should be known for doctoring with their eyes closed.
The VA medical is in no rush to treat illnesses. Through a scan they found 2 small spots on my husbands liver. They said they needed to do an MRI and they would let him know when his appointment is. It's weeks later and nothing heard, even e-mailed and still nothing of an appointment. They do this all the time, a person could die waiting just to find out what's wrong. The government should be ashamed of themselves. Every politician on the hill should have to go to the VA med centers and hospitals for 6 months; see how fast things would change then!
After over 15 years of the Chillicothe, Ohio veterans hospital and not being able to afford to go anywhere else. And my father before me from the Korean war. It's is my personal opinion that this hospital in the long term will send you to an early death. And the whole time they will give new meaning to the words; Cohersion, Harassment, & Neglect!
I am 100% certified disabled. I get all of my care through the VA. I agree with your complaints. I have seen comparable in both the sanitary conditions and in the quality of care, or lack thereof. After submitting an official complaint via the VA website and getting absolutely no response, I am considering starting an org to collect and publicize complaints, in the hopes that it might help, since it does not appear that the VA is willing to clean up their own house.
I work in health care and will not allow any of my friends or family members go to any of the VA Medical Centers...You are better off finding an Allina hospital and requesting financial help. The VA does NOT believe in "Quality Life". Their attitude is: If you wake up in the morning then their job is done. You don't need to speak, you don't need sight, and what in the world would you need to walk for?