I am really, really angry right now. Just spent the morning haggling with a VA patient advocate who clearly has no intention of advocating for patients. After waiting for YEARS, and finally having a neck surgery scheduled for my father, who is in intense ongoing pain, the surgery was abruptly cancelled, by mail, without explanation. By raising a big enough stink (showing up in person at the top floor executive offices), we extracted a promise from his advocate to schedule a meeting with the relevant doctors. The advocate never calls back, and when I get him on the phone he has no idea what Im talking about, says he never would have promised any such thing, and were on our own. For years, I have defended the VA against its growing reputation for terrible care, because my fathers life has been saved many times over by this system. And I still think the doctors are terrific. But administratively, something has gone very wrong. Given all the recent news, youd think these guys would be sensitive to the perception of indifference and enormous delays. But from what I can see, theyre doing nothing to make real change. If anyone has journalist friends you think might be interested in a story like this, Id be grateful to be put in touch. If my dad wants more Vicodin, Percocet, or Dilaudid, he gets them, no questions asked. For medical treatment, we have to beg and threaten.
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 19:31:38 +0000
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