VA: Wait times recorded incorrectly at Colorado clinic

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

VA: Wait times recorded incorrectly at Colorado clinic

Dan Elliott, Associated Press

Updated 10:18 pm, Thursday, February 4, 2016

DENVER (AP) — Workers at a Colorado Springs VA clinic incorrectly reported that some veterans got appointments sooner than they actually did, while at least 288 veterans had to wait longer than the government's 30-day target, federal investigators said Thursday.

The investigators didn't say whether the records were deliberately falsified to make the clinic's performance look better than it was.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Inspector General reviewed 450 appointments over a one-year span and found that in 59 cases, clinic employees reported veterans got appointments within 30 days even though it took longer — in one case, 77 days.

Investigators also found that 288 veterans, or 64 percent of the cases they checked, had to wait longer than the VA's target of 30 days. The average wait among the 288 late appointments was 66 or 68 days, depending on the type of care the veteran was seeking.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/VA-Incorrect-wait-times-reported-at-Colorado-6807670.php

[hobbit709]

1. I was always able to get an appointment within 30 days here in Austin.

One time I had an eye appointment canceled and rescheduled to go to the facility in Temple but that was because the doctor was killed in a traffic accident 3 days before my appointment.
The two times I had to go in for urgent care I was seen within half an hour.

I've received better and faster care at my VA facility than I ever got when I still had insurance.

[madokie]

6. My last visit to urgent care

was a 6 hour ordeal. 5 and a half waiting just to see the doctor when it was clear to anyone there that I was in dire distress. I have COPD and I had whatever its called when it goes bad, acerbate is the word I'm looking for. anyways then they gave me a shot of prednisone that made me sick to my stomach and made me throw up and combined it with an antibiotic that when I read the literature that came with it wasn't even supposed to be prescribed in combination to a person of my age and health. I was and still am pissed and to top it off my health is not improving. I can't hardly breath as I type this right now. Yesterday I was out in the cold air for about 2 hours and last night and today I'm paying for that. It sucks to not be taken any more serious than the Muskogee VA takes us.

10 years ago I swore that the VA here was the cats meow but something changed in this time period and it's no longer as it used to be.

[TipTok]

8. While I haven't had the pleasure of dealing with the VA yet...

I do remember when I had an incident during a jump.

Partial failure of the chute with 2 panels blown out. Came in and bounced off the ground like a meteor.

Ended up with a broken hand and broken tailbone. Sat in that emergency room waiting room for 8 hours with no meds.

Miserable...

[hobbit709]

10. They're definitely better than that here in Austin.

The old facility here could be a pain but the new one they opened up about 3 years ago is the largest VA outpatient facility in the country.

[madokie]

11. Like I said ours use to be much better run

but it's totally gone to shit these last few years. I remember when I'd be in and out of my doctors office before my schedule visit was scheduled but not anymore. Back then I'd spend most of an hour with my primary doctor too but now its if I get 5 minutes its a miracle. In fact its been a long time since that change came about.

I have to say we do have a new pulmonologists and I absolutely love her. She is from India I might add, and is wonderful. I've only had one appointment with her and the next morning she called me personally to ask how I was doing. She was concerned about my COPD and breathing problems. A beautiful person to say the least. Beauty starts from the inside and works its way out is so very true

I'm lucky in life as my wife is one of those beautiful people.

[jtuck004]

2. So in other words the lying pieces of crap falsified entries, likely committing a federal crime and

perhaps leading to the homicide of veterans due to lack of care.

I wonder if the writer gets paid to put a better face on things that would otherwise sound like people were being traitors to their country and people?

[marble falls]

3. Me, too. I even have my primary care physicians cell number.....

I never have a problem up in Temple, either. I love my Muslim woman doctor. I love my socialist single payer program and I would have every American sharing it with me, just one little reason I support Bernie Sanders as opposed to Hillary Clinton who has said she supports cutting VA benefit and even privatizing the VA.

The Va works very well and has the highest patient satisfaction ratings of health systems. Tell your Teapublican Congressman to stop screwing with VA budgets requests.

In '73 when I came home, I went to work at the Brecksville VA center and the first day I told my wife that no matter what happened, to not allow me to end up in a VA hospital. Six years ago I went back because at 58 I had been laid off and hadno insurance for the first time in thirty years. I was not hopeful. Was I ever wrong.

Hobbit, isn't the new facility in Austin great? And the old one was still a good facility, just not big enough thanks to Bush's wars.

I was there yesterday. They've been helping me fight bladder cancer and they've
saved my life. I am completely satisfied with my treatment.

[sorefeet]

4. I have been waiting for 10 months

now for an eye exam. My buddie in Vegas was told it's just old age (61) until he had to go to the emergency room and found end stage bone cancer. Me and the people I know have had horrible experiences. I ask her for anti-biotics she said no, I ask her for anti-nausea she said no I ask her for anti-anxiety and she said no. I have ended in the ER twice because she said fucking no. She told me why don't you people just go away (medical marijuana user legal). She told me this was her VA. I say fuck em.

[marble falls]

14. Man, I do not know what to say. Various facilities are rated and there's...

no doubt they are not all equal. Austin and Temple are highly rated, what was the hell hole of Brecksville VA, now called Louis B. Stokes Regional VA hospital is rated in the mid 70's.

You have the right to use whatever facility you think best and, I've heard, any civilian facility than can do procedures and programs not offered by your VA facility. Have you contacted your Congressman or gone online to see exactly what your rights are?

I have to admit: the vision and glasses program is like something from the USSR: you can only go once every two years and the selection of glasses is surely USSR quality and styles. Other vets with these glasses will know where you got yours, everywhere you go. And they take two weeks to be delivered. Fortunately I really don't need them except for reading at night.

The cancer patient thing really flumoxes me. I am a VA cancer patient at Temple so I also know a bunch of cancer patients being treated by VA and I honestly do not know of or have I ever heard any complaints and I know Temple offers Hospice programs. I have a lot of modesty invasive checkups and I have always felt with three surgeries and 10 plus check ups that I was treated respectfully and caringly by everyone I've been in contact with from housekeeping to the head of my surgeon's dept.

Even the surgeries were done within a month. When it was thought I might have cancer, I had the checkup for it in a week or so and the surgery less than month later. The whole thing between first symptoms and surgery was less than two months.

I wish everyone had my experience. Where are you located?

[sorefeet]

15. Hey marble falls I'm outside of Billings

it was one on the list that was having problems and still are. Once my buddie got diagnosed then the VA took over and gave him chemo but still they put him off and denied him until he was in the last stage of bone cancer. Plus they have turned him down on his agent orange case and that is where the cancer came from. According to another doctor anyway it was a classical case. My buddie says he is quite sure they would just as soon he die and be out of their hair.

[marble falls]

16. There's got to be something we can do. I know you've got an (R)....

Zinke, is he responsive to vets, I kinda recall he's sort of Tea Party.

Here's a website we can start at:

http://www.va.gov/health/rights/

The nations's government regardless of the parties in power pretty much denied any sort of "problems" specific to Agent Orange until the last eight or so years.

The VA hospitals in Oregon are highly rated, is there any chance he could get transportation there?

Here are five sites I think might have some help:

http://www.benefits.va.gov/compensation/claims-postservice-agent_orange.asp

http://www.vietnow.com/va-claims-agent-orange/

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/disability-compensation-agent-orange-vietnam-blue-water-veterans.html

http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/7229/va-nearly-done-with-agent-orange-claims/

http://www1.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1991

[24601]

5. It's not surprising given the Colorado Springs demographics. With three major bases - the Air Force

Academy, Peterson AFB (NORAD/USNORTHCOM) and Fort Carson, the area is attractive to retired military personnel who can use the base PX/Bxs, Commisaries, and MWR facilities.

[TipTok]

9. If America ever went all 'Red Dawn'...

My ass is heading to Woodland Springs (outside CS) with a significant chunk of the retired SOF community.

[rladdi]

7. NO worries, The Republicans, holding secret meeting will close down the Federal VA.

All veterans will use private medical facilities like the rest of the population. The Republicans want to cut out VA funding to save money. And they are using the lack of good care as an excuse to close down the VA. This is not being addressed in their campaigns. they would lose all the Veterans votes if they told the people. This is just one Washington Agency, there are more. If Republicans win the White House, Americans will see huge changes in our government. Also Republicans want to move power to the states. The states are more effective in taking away rights and freedoms. Like the abortion issues, voters rights, women rights, healthcare. The States can suppress those area, where the Federal Government has a difficult time.

[24601]

12. I'm a service-connected disabled veteran. Because the percent of my disability is over 30%, I have

earned all care from VA without regard to any income qualifying factors that apply to cases below 30%.

What VA does not do is coordinate any care with any other system. I can take a prescription from any licensed MD in the country to a military base pharmacy and as long as they carry it, they fill it with no costs.

In the VA system, they fill only a prescription written by a VA doctor.

I would much rather have a card from VA that I could take to any doctor, pharmacy or medical facility and they would bill VA directly.

And there is another reason VA isn't optimal. Although I could get all my care from VA, there are absolutely no provisions for covering family. We cover our family only through the medical coverage provided through my job and there is no such coverage as family less the employee.

The flaw in Sen. Sanders' plan is that he'll raise taxes to provide "free" medical. OK, so the people who have earned free medical would get charged higher taxes and no benefit beyond what they have already earned.

[NobodyHere]

13. This is why I question government run healthcare