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... I wish the VA was a health insurance instead of a facility.
I agree.
Does anyone enjoy using the DMV? a government-operated bureaucracy is the worst, and I keep hearing people who want the government to 100% operate and provide healthcare to everyone.
Not sure about OKC, but B'ham for me, absolutely sucks from the time where you have to park your car, get into a VA bus, take care of business then get back into a VA bus back to your car. One of the worst VA's I'v been to.
I won't even go to the recently new VA in Huntsville, AL due to friends telling me not to go. I go to the Nashville VA right next to Vanderbilt.
It is all about personal experiences. There is parking in Birmingham.
Don't forget, you can read the OIG's report on your VA facility yourself. When searching OIG's site for reports specific to a location, there are often numerous reports, follow-up repots and even some damming details of bad acts.
This is what the general audit report looks like: https://www.va.gov/oig/pubs/VAOIG-22-00062-139.pdf
How do you have VA coverage and get to randomly switch regions? Nashville is in a different region than Birmingham.
Unless it's changed, veterans are allowed to seek care at any VA medical facility they want to. The only stipulation is that the ones who qualify (due to poverty) for travel mileage reimbursement, will just get reimbursed for mileage equal to if they had gone to their closest facility. And his previous records might not be available there (although we now live in the age of electronic records).
I am retired from the Medical Administration Service at VA national Headquarters.
A patient may want to go to a slightly more distant facility, say, for instance, if he has other business in that city, such as being able to visit a family member there or something.
Mr. Dokie got more out of the PTSD program in Oklahoma City during the 4 years we lived there than in the 20+ years he’s been going to Kansas City VA.
Unless it's changed, veterans are allowed to seek care at any VA medical facility they want to. The only stipulation is that the ones who qualify (due to poverty) for travel mileage reimbursement, will just get reimbursed for mileage equal to if they had gone to their closest facility. And his previous records might not be available there (although we now live in the age of electronic records).
I am retired from the Medical Administration Service at VA national Headquarters.
A patient may want to go to a slightly more distant facility, say, for instance, if he has other business in that city, such as being able to visit a family member there or something.
The VA has implemented a HMO style system. You have you're assigned clinic (CBOC OR VAMC or ComCare) and all care is supposed to be coordinated through that PACT team. Although a veteran can seek care at any facility they want, if their PACT team has not referred them to that location, unless it's an emergency, they stand inline behind those assigned to that facility. They can have deferent facilities assigned to them such as cardiology at one facility and gastroenterology at another, but if not coordinated, there could be delays or even denials.
I believe (although it's not openly discussed) partially a result of facilities in the south (FL, TX, AZ, NV, CA mostly) complaining that snowbird veterans show up and expected and often demanding immediate attention. The practice of allowing this got out of hand and complaints about delayed service from local veterans of the areas started to overpower the entitled geezer complainers.
"Also found out from the pharmacist that the VA Clinic in my city doesn’t fill prescriptions. The main VA facility is a few hours drive from home and any prescriptions don’t even come from them. They’re mail order from out of state facilities".....
Once your prescriptions are issued, you can usually pick them up at the hospital pharmacy (if you are being treated at a hospital), otherwise your CBOC PCP orders the Rx and it comes in the mail. To reorder, I use the MyHealthyvet online program to reorder what I need, it comes in the mail...very efficient and easy.
Once your prescriptions are issued, you can usually pick them up at the hospital pharmacy (if you are being treated at a hospital), otherwise your CBOC PCP orders the Rx and it comes in the mail. To reorder, I use the MyHealthyvet online program to reorder what I need, it comes in the mail...very efficient and easy.
The only issue I have with this is when medication is heat sensitive and you get a RX in the mail sent from the some VA facility in TX or NC via snail mail and the med have been compromised by the heat. My PCP said don't use the VA RX reorder site and just send a secure message to the PACT Nurse that I'm plum out of a specific RX.. They will have it sent to the closest CBOP with a pharmacy or the local VAMC to be filled. You can usually pick it up the day after the PCP or PACT Nurse says it's been ordered.
The only issue I have with this is when medication is heat sensitive and you get a RX in the mail sent from the some VA facility in TX or NC via snail mail and the med have been compromised by the heat. My PCP said don't use the VA RX reorder site and just send a secure message to the PACT Nurse that I'm plum out of a specific RX.. They will have it sent to the closest CBOP with a pharmacy or the local VAMC to be filled. You can usually pick it up the day after the PCP or PACT Nurse says it's been ordered.
Back when I used VA for my prescriptions I lived in a rundown trailer park. One day my prescription delivery was left outside my trailer door easily visible from the road. If not for our dog barking I would not have known it has been delivered and it probably would’ve been stolen.
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