Awhile back I was contacted by VA to ask if I would participate in a telephone survey. As an incentive, I was to receive a $20 gift certificate. I agreed. When the call came, I started by telling the nice lady pretty much what I said in my earlier post. She proceeded to read me some rather stupid questions, like did my doctor care about me? I said she seems to care, but how the hell should I know, I'm not a mind reader. When I got the gift certificate it turned out that it wasn't usable locally, I'd have to drive to a city two and a half hours away to find a participating store. The whole thing seemed like a waste.
Then there is the VetsChoice program, where if they can't get you an appointment within 30 days at a VA facility you can go to a private doc. Sounds good in theory, but what a cluster it turned out to be. After a lot of back and forth I got authorization to see a local specialist. That doc had a hassle getting paid, and I got a notice from VA saying it had been turned down. It may have been a misunderstanding at this end, but the info provided to the patient and doctor was far from clear. Then there was an issue with my glasses. Took a few months to get that resolved and I'm still waiting for my glasses..
Yet, back in Des Moines I had an appointment and saw a nurse I hadn't met before and learned there was a miscommunication and I didn't have an appointment with my doc. She said "Please wait a bit", and she brought in a doctor, an older guy who did a very thorough interview and exam and made several referrals. I later learned that he was Chief of Staff for the whole hospital. I was amazed that the chief doctor took time out of his schedule to fill in and see me. Like I said, the Des Moines VA always treated me very well.
Paul
