Debbie,
My condolences to you for Pat's passing, and for the poor treat Pat and you received. This mistreatment and terrible excuse for a health care system they call the VA is a disgrace.
If I do one thing before I die, it's going to be to bring the status quo treatment the VA provides Veterans into the public eye.
It is disgraceful.
I am currently working on a documentary.
Richard Carter
Minneapolis, MN
Steve,
Hang in there. Fight the Good Fight.
I'm working on a documentary about the terrible care, culture, and management of the VA, and would like to have you in it.
Let me know.
Richard Carter
Stealth Pilot,
You chose your occupation, and you knew that 36 hour days were included. I've been treated at Mayo in Rochester. I consider it the best, and I know it sees everyone. If you work there, you know the First Ethic of the Clinic: "The interests of the Patient will always come first". If you do work there, and cannot abide by those ethics set in stone by Drs. Mayo, leave. You don't belong at Mayo, at any of its campuses.
Stealth Pilot,
What is your occupation?
I don't think you are going to find too many doctors pulling 36-hour shifts; except on television. It's so dramatic. Some interns, very, very rarely, maybe, but 12 to 18 is more realistic; and again those are interns and a few, very few residents.
More important, most people going to doctors have real ailments, not nuisance complaints. This is especially true at Mayo, given that most of the patients seen there are referrals, ie. they have already been seen by other doctors who could not provide a resolution. Since you have not been seen at Mayo, you would not have anyway of knowing that. A lack of knowledge is commonly referred to as a certain degree of ignorance; which is not normally used as a pejorative as you have chosen to use it. Personally, I know I am ignorant is many areas. I wouldn't try to perform surgery, engineer a building, or even fly a helicopter (since I haven't piloted them in about 40 years and I'm sure they are different from what I remember); but then again, I don't think a doctor has the legal knowledge that I have, and I would guess that neither do you. However, I am not about to call you 'ignorant', or 'lacking', or try to ridicule you publically for not having such knowledge. It may just be sarcasm on your part, but I just don't understand why you need to go there. The initiator of this thread had a valid issue; others had valid and respectful input, and then someone decided to call people ignorant. I just don't get it.
That could be true, but how do you think it's going to look in the eyes of a jury looking at a suffering patient after the fact, and maybe worse off because of the actions? Which way do you think the court case will go?
And how much would it cost to get to that deciding point?
I would think that it is better for cooler heads to prevail and look at the options before regrettable actions or irresponsibilities are taken, no matter what the law states. Saving a few bucks only to have to spend millions on each single litigation later just doesn't make good business sense to me.
Remember, we are talking Common Law and Tort Law in these situations. It's probably not what you think it is like.
Just my own humble opinion.
Dicouraged,
I might suggest to you, in Rochester, there is a Patient Services Department in the Gonda Building, on the first floor, that is there to hear any complaints such as the condescension you mentioned. I once had a questionable situation occur with a nurse practitioner, and had no concerns in bringing it to their attention.
Hope that helps.
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/1395dd.html
That's not been my experience. I've found Mayo to be the BEST in my entire life. As an aside, I've seen medical facilities with great new equipment, but that equipment isn't the best choice for the MRI that is needed. Personally, if someone was going to offer me a specialized MRI for $500, I'd turn around and run like hell.
Calling any instructional medical facility 'filled with nazi's' is just plain ridiculous. I hate to tell you, but just about every hospital is an instructional medical facility; you just aren't informed enough to know so. I also hate to tell you that sometimes, PATIENTS DIE. We all die, and most die after receiving medical care, which was the best effort, but for one reason or another, was not able to save them. Personally, I'll stick with Mayo. I consider it the best in the world, and can give you first-hand examples of why, if you have a couple of days to hear about them.
I just think you should seek out medical care elsewhere. I doubt you are going to be happy there either.
