Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson speaks to staff members of the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center during a June 18 visit. (VA photo/Robert Turtil)
Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan D. Gibson today directed all VA Medical Center and Health Care System directors to conduct monthly in-person reviews of scheduling practices in every clinic within their jurisdiction.
“Our top priority is getting Veterans off of wait lists and into clinics,” said Acting Secretary Gibson. “Veterans must trust their health care system, and these reviews are an important step towards restoring integrity in all our scheduling activities.”
Read the full press release here.
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I think we have a good V.A in Middle Tn. Thank God for all the people that work at these. Tennessee Valley Healthcare System!!!
I’m still not convinced that this monthly review is going to uncover the scheduling problems because when the va documents appointments they are falsely stating that patients are canceling some appointments when in fact they are not. It clearly shows on Ebenefits website when appointments are canceled and which appointments a patient cancels. How will this monthly review catch whom ever is putting patient canceled when they didn’t? This review by someone within the va can only go by what they can see on paper but not what is actually true unless they contact every veteran that shows patient canceled. Mr secretary can you please explain to me how this review will catch false documentation without contacting the veteran Your response in this matter who give me hope Thank you
As a veteran employee I have to say that the care and the work environment are definitely sub-par, the people that supposedly check to see if we are following guidelines and protocols are clueless themselves. If an employee reports a problem it is swept under the rug and the patients suffer due to the lack of competence of the facility leadership. People in the DC VAMC are promoted for doing the wrong things while the employees that do what is right are blackballed.
I would almost guarantee you that if a full and complete investigation is done, you will find that each and EVERY VA facility is the same. They are all pathetic and are ran by bumbling fools that couldn’t find their way out of a wet paper bag. I honestly believe that they hire the bottom 5% of medical school graduates or those that have been threatened with losing their licenses so they move to another state and get a job with the VA. The quality of care is equal to the quality of the doctor. Enough said.
Why are they worry about the people veterans who’s first appt. It take 2 month to Ccc the doc . they give bonus to those drs, offices personal, and who ever. Why can’t they take bonus get real doctors not nurses practitioners. Spend 5 million on a employment conferences . take $6.00 away from our travel why. We drove to the va hospital / clinic short funded on travel. Sometime wrong here screw the veteran give it to government employees bonuses . give us piss poor services for doctors appt, health care, sent veterans a run around 6 months before they get help. Some clinic are great it getting in ur primary Dr. Needs to fill out request. They can take up too 10 days to read the request, a phone message 3 days before they give u call back . so u veterans need to know this. I go to Madison va primary care suck at west clinic.
I use the Birmingham VA the Doctors were told to not see anyone more than 3 times a year. I had an eye infection they said that I need to go to the clinic before I could get a eye app. That was in May and my eye app is the end of July. These people should be fired.
VHA HQ in DC is telling VA Hospital clinicians how to respond to Veterans who raise the issue of scheduling problems. This effort to control the message further demonstrates their unwillingness to admit their complicity in this unethical behavior.
Why is the news director Jack Pagano at WAKA, TV ABC/ABC affiliate in Montgomery, Alabama, also a Veteran no longer employed at the station after airing the secrets at The Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System?
Today I called for a follow-up appointment, because my lower back pain has moved to my right hip and the surrounding area is completely num and I am in pain almost constantly. My primary cannot see me until the end of July.
I called an outside doctor, I have an appointment @ 9:00 tomorrow!
Do you think the system is any better?
It took me 9 months to get the injection on my back I seen 3 va docs shorty after that he retired and know I m hit bottom with care and be on stop giving out narcotics drugs.
Maybe instead of monthly reviews, the focus should be on weekly reviews? Just to make sure everyone is on the same page. Increasing the length of time between reviews as you move forward instead. As a veteran, a month at this point seems to long to right this ship. Just a thought…
If u have a person with that va. Control it ! It will not work out their going do the same thing cover up someone else mess. I feel to do it right u need someone else and someone qualified to over see it over the director chair he/she from another va hospital or from va office . I still feel heath care hit bottom needs to look at that too just not appt . a vet can get a appts it getting right health care what’s next without a run around . pat
I have never been offered a bonus for doing my job? No bonuses should be the standard!