JeffL,
Years back, the VA changed the way it treated veterans. This was when "managed care" came in and the big insurance companies began running the health care system here in the U.S.. Instead of focusing on the treatment of acute illness/injury, it was decided by the system (and the VA health care system) that it was more cost effective to approach patient care from a "preventative" perspective. That is, they would rather put the money designated to treat veterans' illnesses and injuries in the HMO-style of prevention-oriented care. Part of this thinking was to close many of the VA system's inpatient hospital beds and pour more money into the outpatient clinics.
They failed to consider a big problem with this. Preventing illness is important, yes, but the majority of us vets are ALREADY SICK with illness and injuries resulting from our military service, and we NEED INPATIENT BEDS!! With more and more veterans seeking care from the VA and our veteran population, in general, getting older and sicker, the issue of "prevention" is a joke and this "outpatient" plan has done nothing for us but deprive us of needed inpatient care. This situation did improve, however, with the Veterans Imporved Access Act of 2000. At least now, we can go to any emergency room, in an emergency, and receive care.
At any rate, the number of inpatient beds at most VA hospitals are grossly inadequate for ANY veteran. A lot of times, the available beds are in multi-bed rooms, usually designed for 4 patients. Since female vets, historically, have been reluctant to utilize their VA benefits (partly because the VA, up to recently, has not been particularly "friendly" to us), When a female needs to be hospitalized in one of these VA facilties, it is somewhat likely that she will need to utilize a bed in a multi-bed room. Well, I don't suppose you would feel this way, since you are a man, but I don't want to be hospitalized in the same room with a male vet. This being as such, the VA cannot utilize those other 3 beds in that room, unless they get 3 more female vets in there. That, my friend, is highly unlikely. This is why the Richmond, VA VAMC, essentially, denied me care when I had my asthma attack. Oh, and I know this was the case because on a subsequent visit when I was hospitalized there.........
I had been cleaning some bass that I'd caught when I accidentally got stuck by one of those dorsal spines on the underside of the fish. My finger swelled and festered and was looking pretty bad when I went for my scheduled appointment at the VAMC in Richmond. My primary doctor saw it and had me get it x-rayed. Sure enough, the tip of the spine had lodged in my finger and it was infected. I think 4 different physicians, including surgical residents, tried to pull that spine out of my finger that day. After several unsuccessful attempts, they decided that I should undergo surgery to remove it. My surgery was scheduled on a Tuesday, but they had to admit me to the hospital and give me a room on the preceeding THURSDAY, because they said that it was sooooo difficult to get a female bed there at the Richmond VAMC. So, I entered the hospital on Thursday and had to stay there until the following Tuesday, when I had my surgery. The nurses told me that it was necessary to admit me 5 days in advance in order to reserve a female room. Geeesh!!
The VA has gotten better over the years, however, though it still isn't perfect. I have still had to fight TOOTH AND NAIL to get any care at all for my service connected disability (it is female-specific, but I am rated at 100%, P & T, for it). It seems to me that the VA would rather wait to treat you when you're half dead for your condition, rather than to treat you before it's too late. Just my opinion and experience saying this, but I believe it to be true.
Thanks for your kind sentiments.
Oh, and no, I didn't have to pay for the ambulance.
Peace.
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01-17-2003, 07:05 PM
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