[B4Ranch]

There’s a couple of ways of looking at that. The VA has scheduled X number of patients for X number of hours. They will do that.

The private doctor is under no contract to see that you don’t have to wait. If a patient comes in and requires more time than scheduled, so be it. This is a person who could sue the doctor for not treating the injury properly.

Not so with the VA Doc. Lawsuits are forbidden unless you get permission from the government first.

[Oatka]

There’s a couple of ways of looking at that. The VA has scheduled X number of patients for X number of hours. They will do that.
True, but I have never felt rushed, and there have been times when the doc and I blew 15 minutes in just a general bull session. One thing I particularly like about this VA is that any time they change my meds, they automatically print out a list of side affects to watch for. When I have a blood test, the report shown me has the norms and flags the highs and lows, which he explains to me in detail. None of the outside docs will do either without some prodding, and then they tend to skip over some areas.

(snip)

Not so with the VA Doc. Lawsuits are forbidden unless you get permission from the government first.
That's a plus for some docs. I routinely ask mine about why they chose the VA when they could make big bucks on the outside. Invariably they mention that malpractice insurance was a killer, that they never got 3 a.m. calls, and that they could devote as much time to a patient as was needed, despite the "quota" you mention.