Posted on 12/23/2017 8:19:07 AM PST by markomalley
The Department of Veterans Affairs for years relied on old and illegal policy allowing VA hospitals to hire medical workers even if their licenses had been revoked, according to a USA Today investigation.
In 2002 the VA issued national guidelines giving hospitals the discretion to hire clinicians with revoked licenses after considering the facts of the the situation and as long as the individual still had a license in at least once state. But three years earlier in 1999, Congress passed a law prohibiting the VA from employing any health care workers whose license has been revoked in any state. The VA confirmed the existence and use of the 2002 guidelines to USA Today.
Those illegal guidelines, USA Today discovered, have resulted in the hiring of doctors and other health care workers who never should have been employed to take care of veterans. For example, USA Today reported the VA in Iowa City hired neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider earlier this year, even though his application showed he had a number of malpractice claims and settlements against him, and Wyoming revoked his license when a patient died in his care. The neurosurgeon still had a license in Montana. So the VA hired him, USA Today found. The VA moved to fire Schneider at the end of November, after USA Today lodged inquiries about his case.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
I went to my little VA hospital.
I saw a female PA.
First time I’d ever seen her.
Here is the first thing she said to me.
“You see this button? It’s a panic button. If I press this button, an armed guard will rush to this room.”
I looked at her and said,
“Why? To collect a urine sample? Flashing a gun does make me pee.....sometimes. You’d have to ring out my pants to get the sample, though.”
I had a wonder Indian lady who was my VA Primary Care Provider (PCP) for over 10-years. Four years ago she told me I might not see her again because some grumpy guy complained about her for nearly two years.... After she was gone I have 8 different PCPs. In the past 3.5 years I have had 7 different PCPs or a new doctor every 6 month check up - just fricken unbelievable.
Congress, EXEMPT, gets Kennedy-level health care,
with helicopters from state to state.
Congress should be forced to have unregistered
unlicensed physicians care for them —like this.
““You see this button? It’s a panic button. If I press this button, an armed guard will rush to this room.””
Is this for real? I do not know where to begin. I’d have just flipped her off and walked out. It’s a very cold and unfriendly thing to say if unprovoked. It’s actually a threat.
Since I am entitled to use VA medical, I am trying them out. I also have BC&BS with medicare. I’m gradually backing away from VA care, as civilian care is far better with zero paperwork. Meds are also cheaper under the civilian plans. If VA care worked out, I’d have cancelled medicare. There’s no way in hell I’d do that now.
I truly feel sorry for vets that have to use the VA for medical care.
Wow, I think I would have walked out at that point or, in today’s climate, demanded a third party to be in the room in any meeting with a woman.
Rep. John Murtha dies after surgery complications
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/02/08/john.murtha.obit/index.html
"The Democratic congressman recently underwent scheduled laparoscopic surgery at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to remove his gallbladder. The procedure was "routine minimally invasive surgery," but doctors "hit his intestines,""
I think that part of the problem is that we Veterans think the medical VA people are in league with the bureaucrat VA people. That may or may not be true.
The bureaucrats don’t meet with you. They just make decisions based on politics.
Most of the VA medical people I’ve seen are OK or just lazy.
The bureaucrats are pure evil.
Walk out so she could take another coffee break?
No way.
Whenever they get nasty with me, I just tell them my hemorrhoids are acting up and have them take a look.
Nope.
“Are you having any other problems?”
“Yes, my hemorrhoids are acting up. Could you take a look at them?”
“You see this button? It’s a panic button. If I press this button, an armed guard will rush to this room.”
You should have said: Booo! and laughed.
Than filed a complaint.
Ridiculous.
If a doctor's never been sued for malpractice then he obviously hasn't been in practice very long......
My BIL was an oncologist (now retired) was a co-defendent in a malpractice suit simply because he had to refer a patient to another specialist.
Despite the urgings of his attorney to plead guilty and let the insurance company handle it, he refused. On the final day of the trial the judge called him and his attorney into chamber and even suggested that he plead guilty and get it over with. Again he refused...
After the jury came out, they found him innocent..............
The bottom line is, attorneys don't really care if they know the insurance company is going to foot the bill.........
During his career he was often called by defense teams to be an expert witness in malpractice claims.
And back in the 90's he was approached by the Geoffrey Fieger law firm to be an expert witness for them but he wouldn't have anything to do with that shyster or his group......
“I truly feel sorry for vets that have to use the VA for medical care.”
I get the very best carer of my entire life in the Norcal system.
Specifically, Mather.
And everyone I talk to there agrees.
If they’re really nasty, I say when they’re looking at my hemorrhoids,
“There’s been a really odd smell lately from down there. Sort of like lasagna. Can you smell anything funny?”
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a federal medical license. I’m a licensed electrician in Mass but I don’t need a license to work on a military base or in a post office here in Mass nor does anyone else. My guess is medical licenses work in a similar manner, I heard on a radio discussion last week that Mass won’t allow nurses from other states to step in during an emergency crisis like other states allow thru a multi state mutual agreement.
Problem is you can’t FIRE A UNION GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE!
WHY ARE WE NOT STANDING IN FRONT OF OUR VETERANS? 2% OR LESS JOIN THE MILITARY. ISN’T IT OUR PATRIOTIC DUTY TO STAND UP FOR THEM? THEIR HEALTH CARE IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT, IT WAS EARNED.
I’m the wife of a Ret. 20 yr Career SCPO, I stand with our VETERANS and TROOPS! Will YOU?
VETERANS AND CIVILIANS WELCOME TO HELP THEM FIGHT BACK.
VETS & CIVILIANS FIGHT BACK
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vets.fight.back/
I was threatened with “involuntary commitment” in the Dallas VA because I would not answer the “do you have any firearms?” question.
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