The Failings of the Veterans Administration - An Update
11 days have passed since I wrote about my extreme difficulties in trying to obtain refills of medications from my VA Primary Care Physician.
Prior to today I used the VA website to send messages to my Primary Care Physician (PCP) on March 10, April 19 and May 25th. I have yet to receive a response to any of those messages. I am trying to get some medications refilled. One of them is the one that helps me sleep at night. I've been without it for a month now. I cannot sleep more than 2 hours at a time without it. I'm exhausted both physically and mentally.
I called the VA operator today, hoping to get an email address or a phone extension for Steven Braverman, MD, who is the Medical Director of the West Los Angeles, VA. After nearly 30 minutes on hold "due to their experiencing extremely high call volume" I was able to reach an operator. She tried to calm me down and put through a request to refill the three medications that have completely disappeared from my medication list. Why did they disappear? Because the PCP never bothered to write a new prescription. One of the medications is the one that aids in preventing me from having a stroke due to my irregular heartbeat. Fortunately I still have a week's supply of that one left.
It is unconscionable that nearly 3 months have passed without a response to a secure message regarding a medication refill. I wasn't going to schedule my admission to the VA Medical Center for a change in medications for my heartbeat until these prescription problems were resolved, but I was talked into scheduling that admission for next weekend. I am now considering calling and canceling that admission as my trust in the VA system has been seriously eroded.
I need to do more work but I simply cannot continue today, knowing I face a full day of work tomorrow. So instead of being productive today and making some progress on my work backlog, I'm going to have to go home and rest. Something I would not be having to do if these incompetent imbeciles at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center could do their jobs.
From the FWIW file, I'm going to send this post to the Medical Director of that VA Medical Center. The one who points out in their LinkedIn profile that they oversee a facility with 5,500 employees and a budget of $1 billion. I wonder if he will respond. Want to bet on it? I'm betting against.
Edited to Add: I refuse to spend over $300 to send a message with this blog to that individual. So I'll just send it to my elected representatives.
Prior to today I used the VA website to send messages to my Primary Care Physician (PCP) on March 10, April 19 and May 25th. I have yet to receive a response to any of those messages. I am trying to get some medications refilled. One of them is the one that helps me sleep at night. I've been without it for a month now. I cannot sleep more than 2 hours at a time without it. I'm exhausted both physically and mentally.
I called the VA operator today, hoping to get an email address or a phone extension for Steven Braverman, MD, who is the Medical Director of the West Los Angeles, VA. After nearly 30 minutes on hold "due to their experiencing extremely high call volume" I was able to reach an operator. She tried to calm me down and put through a request to refill the three medications that have completely disappeared from my medication list. Why did they disappear? Because the PCP never bothered to write a new prescription. One of the medications is the one that aids in preventing me from having a stroke due to my irregular heartbeat. Fortunately I still have a week's supply of that one left.
It is unconscionable that nearly 3 months have passed without a response to a secure message regarding a medication refill. I wasn't going to schedule my admission to the VA Medical Center for a change in medications for my heartbeat until these prescription problems were resolved, but I was talked into scheduling that admission for next weekend. I am now considering calling and canceling that admission as my trust in the VA system has been seriously eroded.
I need to do more work but I simply cannot continue today, knowing I face a full day of work tomorrow. So instead of being productive today and making some progress on my work backlog, I'm going to have to go home and rest. Something I would not be having to do if these incompetent imbeciles at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center could do their jobs.
From the FWIW file, I'm going to send this post to the Medical Director of that VA Medical Center. The one who points out in their LinkedIn profile that they oversee a facility with 5,500 employees and a budget of $1 billion. I wonder if he will respond. Want to bet on it? I'm betting against.
Edited to Add: I refuse to spend over $300 to send a message with this blog to that individual. So I'll just send it to my elected representatives.
posted by me at 10:22 AM
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