Medical Malpractice

How good of a job does the government do running our VA hospitals?

Public Comments

1. Not good enough. Our veterans needs the best care they can get, and far too often do we hear horror stories of their ineptitude.
2. a much better job than the insurance industry is doing in managing private sector healthcare
3. ok i guess not as bad as they use to but number 1 i wouldn't want to get a surgery in the VA and 2 the paperwork is a nightmare plus the wait times
4. Any government that treats their primary causation like cannon fodder should be ashamed of itself which is precisely why I do not trust the Republicans to run our health care system- check mate. Think about it without getting a headache for a moment.
5. I was in two VA hospitals. One was Walter Reed. The care and treatment was terrific. Of course that was before Bush came to power and we know what happened there. Still, other than the dorm condition, the physicians, nurses and food was great. The other VA hospital was in Alabama and again was the best I've ever seen.
6. Where i am stationed, the VA sometimes treats active duty personel. They do a fine job and there is no wait. People just repeat what they hear, without ever serving in the military.
7. It doesn't really matter its socialism. Socialism is evil no matter how much good it does.
8. My uncle got excellent care at the VA hospital in Colorado.
9. They can give good care in certain areas. The VA can also improve. There is much to be done, but for many veterans, it is better than no care and that is what they would be able to afford otherwise. What is great about the VA is that you can reserve the option for private care and then return with orders and care plans to get the appropriate care you need. There is a situation where all hospitals can not specialize or do everything so they outsource care and the VA could do this if they wish. All systems need improvement. This is all systems as in private and public. No one knows everything nor can they be everything to all people. A public system that gives care can be a great start to get in line to be healthy and keep you working. I know veterans that have no private care and are happy to have the VA.
10. I worked at a VA hospital for 10 years (non-medical position) so can answer your question with some authority -- the medical care at MOST VA hospitals is good, but the administration is an absolute joke. Here's just one example -- Let's say that a particular VA hospital is allotted 5-million dollars a year. Near year's end this hospital finds that they've only spent 3-million. Instead of trying to find out how they accidentally saved money so that they could change how the hospital is run and continue to save, the hospital will find ways to spend 2-million dollars more so that they can justify asking for another 5-million bucks to cover next year's operating costs. In the electronics shop where I worked our foreman would hold a year-end "fiscal" meeting and order all of us to find ways to spend money. Each of us would then order all kinds of equipment and parts for which there was absolutely no use. When all this junk came in from the vendors, it went directly into a storage room where it probably sits today gathering dust.
11. The Doctors and Nurses are nothing short of "Outstanding" its the bureaucracy. And you know what they say about a "Bureaucracy is where the first person who answers the phone can't help you." - Dr. K.J. Fabian
12. It takes an outspoken vet or care taker to see that the treatment given is thorough and complete. Primary care doctors do not go out of their way to test and examine, unless their feet are put to the fire. Primary doctors are like building contractors. They do best in sending patients to other specialists for their expertise, than actually knowing each patient individually. In the VA, you are not known by your name, but by your last four. This is the last four numbers of your social security. It is a paperless organization for the most part, although it will mail a patient his itinerary so that he doesn't blow off appointments. The people are usually polite and friendly, and this can be challenging when dealing with many older veterans who tend to be harder to please. The VA does not have the same compassion and individuality as private health care. It can be compared to a Twinkie factory with all its automation, compared to a family run bakery !