Reflection 4: The road to the Phoenix VA wait-time nightmare
Rafael Martinez-Cruz
HCM 4310
August 25, 2017
Dr. Robert C. Miner
Thesis Statement
Though many veterans’ used the Phoenix VA as their main health care facility, their trust in the VA system has been declining throughout the years. The Phoenix VA offers to the veterans a place that understands their needs and also can accommodate their necessities better than any public hospital.
The road to the Phoenix VA wait-time scandal The Mission of all the VA Medical centers is: “To Honor America’s veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.” (U.S. Department of Veterans …show more content…
Dr. Foote also learned that the facility was altering the books in different and selective ways. He discovered that more veterans died after he made everyone aware of what was happening, but no one was listening. Dr. Foote began feeling the patient’s overload, and the harassment of executives since his complaints about some of them in the past. He decided to retire in December 2013 instead of December 2015. Before his retirement, he wanted everyone to know everything that was going on at the Phoenix facility, so he started gathering data for the Organization Inspector General (OIG). In the complaint, he claims that up to 40 patients died while pending care from the facility. On his grievance, he explained in numerous ways that veteran’s appointment records were falsified, hidden or erased, and he accused the bonus system as a stimulating factor. The OIG team arrived in Phoenix to begin the investigation. Dr. Foote was confident that the Phoenix VA was not the only facility that has these issues, he proceeded to contact the Arizona Republic and agree to work with them as an investigation project with the only condition that everything is going to be revealed after his retirement on December 31. Meanwhile, The Republic discovered other employees that agree to disclose …show more content…
After 15 years, he presented to the hospital Mental Health Clinic, and a psychiatrist recorded that he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, alcohol abuse, and multiple problems with his “primary support system.” His blood pressure was 191/102 mm Hg, and a repeat measurement was 175/102 mm Hg. A week later the patient was added to the EWL for a doctor’s visit, and the visit was made for 15 weeks after the Mental Health Clinic visit. This patient’s hypertension demanded a quick diagnosis and therapy, which did not happen (VA Office of Inspector General,
Rafael Martinez-Cruz
HCM 4310
August 25, 2017
Dr. Robert C. Miner
Thesis Statement
Though many veterans’ used the Phoenix VA as their main health care facility, their trust in the VA system has been declining throughout the years. The Phoenix VA offers to the veterans a place that understands their needs and also can accommodate their necessities better than any public hospital.
The road to the Phoenix VA wait-time scandal The Mission of all the VA Medical centers is: “To Honor America’s veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.” (U.S. Department of Veterans …show more content…
Dr. Foote also learned that the facility was altering the books in different and selective ways. He discovered that more veterans died after he made everyone aware of what was happening, but no one was listening. Dr. Foote began feeling the patient’s overload, and the harassment of executives since his complaints about some of them in the past. He decided to retire in December 2013 instead of December 2015. Before his retirement, he wanted everyone to know everything that was going on at the Phoenix facility, so he started gathering data for the Organization Inspector General (OIG). In the complaint, he claims that up to 40 patients died while pending care from the facility. On his grievance, he explained in numerous ways that veteran’s appointment records were falsified, hidden or erased, and he accused the bonus system as a stimulating factor. The OIG team arrived in Phoenix to begin the investigation. Dr. Foote was confident that the Phoenix VA was not the only facility that has these issues, he proceeded to contact the Arizona Republic and agree to work with them as an investigation project with the only condition that everything is going to be revealed after his retirement on December 31. Meanwhile, The Republic discovered other employees that agree to disclose …show more content…
After 15 years, he presented to the hospital Mental Health Clinic, and a psychiatrist recorded that he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, alcohol abuse, and multiple problems with his “primary support system.” His blood pressure was 191/102 mm Hg, and a repeat measurement was 175/102 mm Hg. A week later the patient was added to the EWL for a doctor’s visit, and the visit was made for 15 weeks after the Mental Health Clinic visit. This patient’s hypertension demanded a quick diagnosis and therapy, which did not happen (VA Office of Inspector General,