VA Healthcare...sometimes the logic purely evades me.....

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Usually I'm way ahead of'em but Friday night I realized I'd screwed the pooch on a couple of med refills. One is a rescue inhaler and while I don't use it in the frequency prescribed it's one of those things that when ya need it ya need it. I had a telehealth call this morning with a pharmacist at Greenville on an unrelated matter and at the end of it I explained the situation to the lady. "No problem, if you don't mind driving over you can pick them up at the counter".

So I hatted up at 9AM and drove an hour and change to Greenville...where I met the short, fat baldheaded gnome from Hell in Booth #1 who proceeded to tell me that the pharmacist didn't know squat and that he was the man. He could fill one of the prescriptions, the other wasn't due for refill for another ten days....BUT he could get a 90 day supply in the mail to me and I could expect it in 3-4 days. I guess the look of bewilderment on my face was funny to him so he chuckled...and that's when the fight started....

I asked if they had it there in stock.
Him: Yes.
Me: How about just letting me pick them up now?
Him: Nope, it'll be mailed and you can expect it in 3-4 days.
Me: Well since it's a rescue inhaler, I'm completely out, and that's the most idiotic f'n thing I've ever heard ......how about giving me one now and mailing the other two?

Things deteriorated rather quickly from there and when I saw that no amount of coaxing was gonna let me leave with that inhaler I leaned across his desk and said....LOUDLY....
...I hope at some point in the day you have an overwhelming and uncontrollable need to fart...and when you give in to it there's a HUGE freakin' lump in it....

People in the waiting area were rolling, I almost thought they were gonna cheer as I walked out. I may never get my meds....
 

nhn2a

Ten Pointer
Unfortunately internal policy trumps common sense at the VA.

Not to hijack your post but I have an equally as dumb one with the pharmacy. I had surgery back in January. The VA couldnt do it so they sent me to community care and to the nearby hospital in Fayetteville. Everything was going great. I get out of surgery and am waking up from the anesthesia and a nurse explains that the hospital is allowed by the referral to treat me but the pharmacy isnt covered. I can pay a few hundred dollars for the pain meds uninsured or get them from the VA for free which is less than 10 miles away. No big deal, my wife agrees to go to the VA to get them. The hospital said they will electronically send the prescription over and they should be ready when we get there. This is at 8am.

Well my wife drops me off at the house and heads down there. She meets the pharmacist who explains that because they are pain meds, the VA will not accept an electronic prescription. It has to be a physical prescription which for some reason is more secure than the direct licensed prescription system. She goes round and round with them and eventually agrees to drive back to the hospital and get a physical prescription. This takes most of the day as the surgeon was in surgery all day and we couldnt get a physical prescription written until almost 4pm (pharmacy of course closes at 4:30). By this point my pain meds have warn off and I'm in a lot of pain. She drives back to the VA and gives them the physical prescription and they proceed to say they cant fill it because that doctor doesnt work for the VA .... !?!? No crap !?!?, they are the community care Dr the VA sent me to and they knew that 8hrs ago. They wont fill the prescription. Finally after a colorful exchange with my very angry wife, patient advocacy, and security almost getting involved, they get a local Dr at the VA to look over my discharge paperwork and issue me a prescription so they can fill it.
 

richard corn

Ten Pointer
Thanks for your service. Sounds like free medicine isn’t free especially when your wife gets the run around. Someone there (surgeon) knows the deal. Just doesn’t give a rat’s arse. Sad day…our healthcare service is badly broken
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
@nhn2a, hey buddy, hijack away. I'm sure sorry you had those kinds of problems, it absolutely makes me crazy sometimes dealing with them. I swear more often than not the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing...and that's a bad place to be when you're hurting. My experience? It's just as bad out in the world as it is with the VA....
 

dfitzy

Ten Pointer
Contributor
@nhn2a, hey buddy, hijack away. I'm sure sorry you had those kinds of problems, it absolutely makes me crazy sometimes dealing with them. I swear more often than not the left hand doesn't know what the right is doing...and that's a bad place to be when you're hurting. My experience? It's just as bad out in the world as it is with the VA....
First, thanks for your service. Sadly the VA has been messed up for a while. When I finished PA school I had plans to work for the VA. But the amount of paperwork and resistance I was met with was unreal. Long story short I ended up working in family practice and sports medicine. Saw many patients from the VA that were so mistreated. Still angers me as my dad served 25 years and I saw how he was treated as well. I’m frustrated for you.
 

DBCooper

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Anyone who wants to know what government run (read - Universal) healthcare looks like..........................should read this.

I had surgery in January, and it could not have been better. I have one ongoing prescription that I take. I get texts when it's about to run out that I can respond to......that alerts my family care physician to call it in to my pharmacy. It's nearly fool proof. But, it's not government healthcare ;)

The V.A. did a lot of good things for my dad in his lifetime. I always thought that was payment for services rendered. Sorry you had such an issue on something that SHOULD be so simple.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The VA is a typical example of government waste and mishandling of their duties, responsibilities and ESPECIALLY Human Resources issues. With the VA one of the many that took up DEI very seriously and took the place of other sources of affirmative action there is a LOT of work that needs done, especially since the worst of the worst are protected by Union representation.
The VA offers a great service, has some of the best resources available, has some of the best patients out there(along with some of the worst)and doesn't typically worry too much about lack of employees as a reason to not provide service. It's potential is amazing but the restrictions from DEI are crippling.
 

Longrifle

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The VA is a typical example of government waste and mishandling of their duties, responsibilities and ESPECIALLY Human Resources issues. With the VA one of the many that took up DEI very seriously and took the place of other sources of affirmative action there is a LOT of work that needs done, especially since the worst of the worst are protected by Union representation.
The VA offers a great service, has some of the best resources available, has some of the best patients out there(along with some of the worst)and doesn't typically worry too much about lack of employees as a reason to not provide service. It's potential is amazing but the restrictions from DEI are crippling.
Well said and I absolutely agree. As a rule I've had nothing but great experiences with my interactions at the VA, I know without a doubt I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in without them.
But every once in a while you run into one of those people who think the VA revolves around them, not the veterans....and that sucks.
 

“J”

Twelve Pointer
Luckily I’ve not bumped into any of the a-holes described above. The vast majority of my dealings have been a positive.
But I will say, quite a few of the medical side employees are in worse shape than their patients…… 😳
 

nhn2a

Ten Pointer
Well said and I absolutely agree. As a rule I've had nothing but great experiences with my interactions at the VA, I know without a doubt I wouldn't be in the shape I'm in without them.
But every once in a while you run into one of those people who think the VA revolves around them, not the veterans....and that sucks.

Same. I'm in no way bad mouthing the VA. They do a lot of good and overall I've had mainly great experience with all my encounters. This was a one off but man did it suck at the time. I just got caught between their internal policies and common sense at the time.
 

Uwharrieman

Ten Pointer
Have to say I've been fortunate with my experiences, some stumbles.

One thing they did a few years ago was install kiosk machines in entrance lobby, had signs up urging
us to use them when we walk in.
They said it would save time on the floors when we reported to whatever appointment.

They had assistants there to show us how to use these kiosk machines, told us we didn't have to check in upstairs then.
I came in one day, checked in on the kiosk and went up to the third floor.
When I got off the elevator I walked past the desk, sat down in the waiting room.

Few minutes later lady from the desk asked me if I checked in. Told her I did in the lobby on the kiosk.
She told me that would not confirm I had arrived at this location for my appointment. All it does is show I checked in at the hospital.

Told me you always have to check in at the station desk. Last time I used their kiosks.
 

guyo

Ten Pointer
I have not got travel pay for about a year, it just got to be to stressful. When I was at the Hickory clinic I had Lyme disease from Jan 2013 to dec 2015, I kept telling him I had Lyme. finally sent me to be tested at my request, he put that in my file. The test came back positive . My body is still paying for that 2 years.
This is just one of many things I had to deal with in the 30 years I have been in the V.A. system its been a fun ride! lol
 
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