VA Hospital on Prime Time Thursday, show's over anyone watch it?

[Pliablemoose]

To: All Employees

1. We have been informed that the ABC News show, Primetime Thursday, scheduled April 8th will broadcast a negative report on VA hospitals. We understand the show will focus on conditions at VA facilities in four states. Although our facility may not be the target of the criticism, such negative reports cast the entire VA system in an unfavorable light and raise questions in the minds of veterans and the public about VA?s ability to provide quality health care.

2. While a small number of employees may be portrayed in an unfavorable light in this show, this should not be a reflection on the large number of VA employees, like you, who are caring, committed and dedicated and do an excellent job in serving America?s veterans. I truly appreciate and admire your work and thank you for the pride and caring attitude that you consistently provide our patients.

3. Although we do not claim to have a perfect VA health care system, we believe we deliver quality health care to our veterans and we continue to work to improve it.

4. Again, I sincerely thank you for your efforts.



XXXXXXXXX
Director

I love my employer, they decide who to hire & fire, set staffing levels, etc, but are trying to spin this so the employees, not the agency will be angry @ Prime Time Live tonight. I've turned in 1/2 dozen incompent, substance abusers, etc to be told it was none of my business. They promote the a$$holes cuz they own them:|

Thursday, April 8 at 10 p.m. E.T.
An exclusive Diane Sawyer Primetime Thursday investigation: Hidden cameras uncover disturbing new findings about conditions and competence inside some veterans' hospitals, in an hour-long report.

From what I've read, employees assisted with the undercover videotaping.

 

[azazyel]

"like you, who are caring, committed and dedicated and do an excellent job in serving America?s veterans. I truly appreciate and admire your work and thank you for the pride and caring attitude that you consistently provide our patients."

In other words...please don't say anthing mean to the press.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I've known this was coming since December & so have they, I love the way it seems like they just found out about it. I knew the air date 2 weeks ago...

 

[Queasy]

Government run hospital...anybody surprised that they have problems providing 'quality' healthcare? Not me.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Anyone watching this?

 

[SmoochyTX]

I am and it's sad beyond words.

 

[rh71]

Watching ER... but just wanted to know... what's VA mean ?

 

[SmoochyTX]

And is really p**sing me off!

 

[SmoochyTX]

Veterans Affairs

Edited to say: Affairs and not Administration

 

[rh71]

how's it different from regular hospitals ?

 

[SmoochyTX]

Hmph...you should watch.

 

[vi edit]

News flash: all large health care providers have skeletons in the closet and worker incompetence that would make you cringe.

Sad but true.

My wife tells me horror stories about fsckups that happen in the hospital she works at.

But, what can you do?

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
News flash: all large health care providers have skeletons in the closet and worker incompetence that would make you cringe.

Sad but true.

My wife tells me horror stories about fsckups that happen in the hospital she works at.

But, what can you do?

The stuff about nurses LVN's & NA's not doing any work is real, you can't fire them, minority status issues...

 

[SmoochyTX]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
News flash: all large health care providers have skeletons in the closet and worker incompetence that would make you cringe.

Sad but true.

My wife tells me horror stories about fsckups that happen in the hospital she works at.

But, what can you do?

Not a news flash to me and yes it's true, but these seem to be fsckups beyond fsckups beyond fsckups. And for crying out loud, these are Veterans hospitals. I guess it's common place for the hospital where your wife works at to not feed their patients for 3 days, or use dirty gloves with soiled linens, food, and multiple patients all day, and leave patients in bed so long their bedsores require their tailbones to be removed, and let maggots run free in the patient's beds.

I hope that's not the kind of place your wife works at. At this point, we're beyond leaving a scalpel or glove inside a patient. Way beyond that....

 

[Pliablemoose]

I loved the stuff about remodeling, I've seen it happen over & over.

 

[vi edit]

The stuff about nurses LVN's & NA's not doing any work is real, you can't fire them, minority status issues...

That, or unions.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

The stuff about nurses LVN's & NA's not doing any work is real, you can't fire them, minority status issues...

That, or unions.

Agreed, anyone else watch the show?

I loved how the guy who was supposed to be disciplined, got promoted & a raise & the VA he took over went in the toilet.

If you remember the nurses sitting @ the nurse's station, they were documenting care that wasn't being given. Management demands all this documentation, refuses to back you up if the employees they provide won't do it, & then disciplines you if you don't document the care that's not being done.

The stuff about the attendings being ghost attendings is very real too.

I was blown away that they mentioned the Residents. They're untouchable in our hospital, and have little or no supervision. Thankfully it's unusual to get a really bad one, but there's always one or 2...

 

[Amused]

I'm a vet, and so are my GF's grandparents and I have seen, first hand, the horrors of VA hospitals.

Folks, private hospitals can be sometimes be bad, but not like the VA. Comparing a private hospital to the VA is like comparing the Ritz Carlton to your local crack infested no-tell motel. The VA is a perfect example of federal healthcare and the very reason why we should NEVER socialize healthcare in this country.

Also, comparing a county hospital to the VA would be more in line. Both are government entities.

 

[dethman]

having worked in a VA hospital, i have to say so much of this is absolutely true. the nursing staff there is ten times worse than the nursing staff at any other hospital i've worked at.

physically disabled people were left food out of reach just like in the show, or nurses would fail to give an entire FLOOR their morning insulin on a regular basis and we would be scratching our heads trying to figure out why blood sugars were so high. It would be an afternoon CHORE just to get a nurse to change some bedsheets that a patient had soiled. I was so disgusted. i've actually had a nurse tell me "i'm gonna make your life a living hell" because i interrupted her phone conversation with her boyfriend to have her administer some medication she didn't give in the first place.

these guys should be getting the best care, yet they're cast by the wayside. it's a damned shame.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Amused
I'm a vet, and so are my GF's grandparents and I have seen, first hand, the horrors of VA hospitals.

Folks, private hospitals can be sometimes be bad, but not like the VA. Comparing a private hospital to the VA is like comparing the Ritz Carlton to your local crack infested no-tell motel. The VA is a perfect example of federal healthcare and the very reason why we should NEVER socialize healthcare in this country.

Also, comparing a county hospital to the VA would be more in line. Both are government entities.

The only argument I can limply put forward is that many VA patients are quite old & have multiple co-morbidities (chronic illnesses)

What I can fault them for is:

1.) Constantly cutting the number of staff that does hands on care, while leaving management well staffed. An outside agency needs to determine what/who to cut. Manager to staff ratio is something like 5:1 in VA, where it's 15:1 in the private sector.

2.) Poor pre-employment screening.

3.) Miserable physical conditions, wife & I laughed out loud @ the guy who figured out his floor hadn't been cleaned in a year... Our housekeeping folks are virtually 100% recovering crack addicts, recruited from our treatment programs. The buildings are filthy.

4.) No one is held accountable for F/U of anything.

5.) Management's piss poor record for dealing with problem employees, I've been a chief steward & walked terminated employees out of the building to their car, after I put up a token effort for them. Management could deal with bad employees, but they're too busy leaving early every day, 2 hour off station lunches, training junkets on the public dime, etc...

6.) I had ~15 minutes training on the electronic charting program they implemented a few years ago, we're just left to figure things out on our own.

7.) The continued promotion of a$$holes, like the center director in Temple, TX VA. The asshat had a lifetime of mismanagement, being paid by tax dollars. He should have been fired when he made national media coverage in 90', but no, he gets promoted & given more power...

Bah, I'd best STFU, I signed a NDA when I went to work for them

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Pliablemoose

Originally posted by: Amused
I'm a vet, and so are my GF's grandparents and I have seen, first hand, the horrors of VA hospitals.

Folks, private hospitals can be sometimes be bad, but not like the VA. Comparing a private hospital to the VA is like comparing the Ritz Carlton to your local crack infested no-tell motel. The VA is a perfect example of federal healthcare and the very reason why we should NEVER socialize healthcare in this country.

Also, comparing a county hospital to the VA would be more in line. Both are government entities.

The only argument I can limply put forward is that many VA patients are quite old & have multiple co-morbidities (chronic illnesses)

What I can fault them for is:

1.) Constantly cutting the number of staff that does hands on care, while leaving management well staffed. An outside agency needs to determine what/who to cut. Manager to staff ratio is something like 5:1 in VA, where it's 15:1 in the private sector.

2.) Poor pre-employment screening.

3.) Miserable physical conditions, wife & I laughed out loud @ the guy who figured out his floor hadn't been cleaned in a year... Our housekeeping folks are virtually 100% recovering crack addicts, recruited from our treatment programs. The buildings are filthy.

4.) No one is held accountable for F/U of anything.

5.) Management's piss poor record for dealing with problem employees, I've been a chief steward & walked terminated employees out of the building to their car, after I put up a token effort for them. Management could deal with bad employees, but they're too busy leaving early every day, 2 hour off station lunches, training junkets on the public dime, etc...

6.) I had ~15 minutes training on the electronic charting program they implemented a few years ago, we're just left to figure things out on our own.

7.) The continued promotion of a$$holes, like the center director in Temple, TX VA. The asshat had a lifetime of mismanagement, being paid by tax dollars. He should have been fired when he made national media coverage in 90', but no, he gets promoted & given more power...

Bah, I'd best STFU, I signed a NDA when I went to work for them

Yep, sounds exactly like most local DMVs... or most any government agency for that matter.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Here's the latest fiasco: Wray's boss resigns from VA $270 million on a computer system for surgical supplies, they were trying for an "on-time" automated system to order/pay for surgical supplies.

& yep I was scared as hell when I heard that the VA was to be used as a model for a national health care system :Q

 

[BooGiMaN]

isnt it amazing that most of the time it seems bd employees get promoted while good employees get fired or laid off....

and it seems even when the bad employees get terminated they have no trouble finding another better payign job with more power...I wanna know how this happens!

 

[T2T III]

Interesting. Unfortunately, my father died in a VA hospital when I was 17. Granted, his bad habits and addictions are what led to his death. However, I'm pretty sure the VA hospital system could have done more to aid him (e.g. their technology, level of knowledge by their doctors, etc.) - are not up to par when compared to other hospital systems.

But, I will admit, I didn't see any conditions which would have led me to believe that the particular hospital that he was in was running things in sub-standard way. All employees seemed professional to me and it appeared to be well-kept.

 

[Pliablemoose]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
Interesting. Unfortunately, my father died in a VA hospital when I was 17. Granted, his bad habits and addictions are what led to his death. However, I'm pretty sure the VA hospital system could have done more to aid him (e.g. their technology, level of knowledge by their doctors, etc.) - are not up to par when compared to other hospital systems.

But, I will admit, I didn't see any conditions which would have led me to believe that the particular hospital that he was in was running things in sub-standard way. All employees seemed professional to me and it appeared to be well-kept.

Some of the specialty areas are actually world class, some of the others are 3rd world

It varies widely from VA to VA