Memorial day seems like a perfectly appropriate day to begin this blog
I have to say that working for the VA, practicing medicine for the VA, is the most rewarding career I have had. I spent two years in private practice, and two for an HMO. I've been with the VA for four years now. The personal rewards for practicing for the VA far outweigh the other venues.
I feel better about what I do, here. I am not driven by outside sources to make money. Because when you work for the private sector, even in private practice, this is what drives your day; making money. At the VA, front-line doctors like myself are driven by quality outcomes. How well controlled are our diabetics, our hypertensive? Are our CAD patients on the right meds? These are the things that are measured in our practice, and these are the things our bosses come down on us for if we miss important measures.
No one cares if I make any money, because quite frankly, I don’t. It's government funded. I can't pad my salary.
Personally, I think the consumer gets a better deal this way. Quality of care is the number one driving force in my daily work, not profit.
You sound like an ideal VA Physician. I guess my question becomes what happens when one has a negative experience with a VA Primary Care Physician?
ReplyDeleteI recently was assigned a new Primary Care Provider and the first time I consulted with him, it was for what appeared to be the beginning of a red rash on my leg.
The rash is now - - - six months later - - - advanced cellulitis.
This was never diagnosed at Prime Care but in an ER setting during a blow up.
The entire course of treatment from my new Prime Care Doc consisted of being prescribed some topical cream and the advice, "Call me in a year unless you get sicker."
Since then, I have felt continually dismissed and it doesn't seem that anyone in the facility except for the Emergency Room has any concern about my condition at all.
I started fighting this infection on February 2, 2012 and my Dermatology Appointment is July 25, 2012 - - - a six month wait.
The Prime Care never once ordered lab tests or culture to determine the kind of bacteria that I am dealing with, no blood test to see if it has gotten into the bloodstream, no ultrasound to rule out Deep Vein Thrombosis - - - none of that.
When I finally got Prime Care to give me some antibiotics to combat this thing, they gave me around 8 days worth and everybody I ever talked to tells me a minimum of 14 days worth is needed.
So what is a guy to do?