Posted on Mar 20, 2014
Have you negative or positive experiences with the Military Health System?
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How was it positive or negative and what was the factor that helped to make your experience a positive one or a negative one? Please do not post any Protected Health Information(PHI) here. For this discussion let's limit this to the DOD system only and not the VA system.
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Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 16
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I had an awesome experience I was a catagory 4 in dental, happened to be near a MTF at JBLM for a class, I am stationed 3 hrs away . I walked in it happened to be at the tail end of sick call. The dentest did xrays and found i needed some work , They sent me all over the base but I will say this 3 COL , 2 LTC and a MAJ did their damndest and got me into every available slot they could yes i went in on a MON I had two cavities, 2 fake teeth redone, (caps) and a root canal done in one weeks time and most of all I missed no time from the class.
I say BRAVO and gave them a huge kudos
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
Too bad the military doesn’t have dental when you’re a veteran my dentist referred me twice to a oral surgeon and it is very expensive
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC Jo Ann Klawitter - yes it can be very expensive...the VA has limited dental available
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My experience with the military health care system was that the Army had three completely distinct health care systems.
1. There was the combat medical system - which existed only in/for units actually in combat. This system consisted of a platoon medic, and some absolutely insane helicopter crews. In both cases, their goal was to keep you alive long enough to pass you to the doctors. Generally they were damn good at it.
2. There was the real medical system - which included doctors, nurses, and various medical technicians all assigned to a medical unit. The vast majority of them were both dedicated and highly skilled. They did great work despite being occasionally limited by regulations.
3. There was the filter system -- which went by names like Sick Call and Acute Minor Illness Clinic. The entire purpose of this system was to prevent you from being treated by the real medical system. The medical term for what they did was "triage" although most victims had other words for it.
The VA copies the military, consisting mostly of #2, with occasional instances of #3.
1. There was the combat medical system - which existed only in/for units actually in combat. This system consisted of a platoon medic, and some absolutely insane helicopter crews. In both cases, their goal was to keep you alive long enough to pass you to the doctors. Generally they were damn good at it.
2. There was the real medical system - which included doctors, nurses, and various medical technicians all assigned to a medical unit. The vast majority of them were both dedicated and highly skilled. They did great work despite being occasionally limited by regulations.
3. There was the filter system -- which went by names like Sick Call and Acute Minor Illness Clinic. The entire purpose of this system was to prevent you from being treated by the real medical system. The medical term for what they did was "triage" although most victims had other words for it.
The VA copies the military, consisting mostly of #2, with occasional instances of #3.
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MSG Thomas Currie
SFC Jo Ann Klawitter - I don't know if the VA could ever be made user-friendly.
The VA seems to vary greatly from one place to another, and even from one clinic or one doctor to another. I had one doctor who called all the VA's presumptive connections "Junk Science." His position was that veterans had more of the chronic conditions simply because we were older.
Overall it seems that the VA is similar to the military model I described where the people who actually treat patients are pretty good but you have to get through the first layer who see their job as being to keep you from wasting their time.
Like any large organization the VA has a lot of rules, most of which probably made sense to the person who wrote them to cover some situation, but often those rules don't make any sense to the people who have to follow them in the situations they actually encounter. One small advantage that I occasionally have is my background as a GS-0341 Administrative Officer because I spent many years picking apart military regulations and policies to accomplish what my bosses wanted. I'm pig-headed enough to say "Show me the regulation" then go through every comma and semicolon.
Patience and persistence are often key to dealing with the VA.
The VA seems to vary greatly from one place to another, and even from one clinic or one doctor to another. I had one doctor who called all the VA's presumptive connections "Junk Science." His position was that veterans had more of the chronic conditions simply because we were older.
Overall it seems that the VA is similar to the military model I described where the people who actually treat patients are pretty good but you have to get through the first layer who see their job as being to keep you from wasting their time.
Like any large organization the VA has a lot of rules, most of which probably made sense to the person who wrote them to cover some situation, but often those rules don't make any sense to the people who have to follow them in the situations they actually encounter. One small advantage that I occasionally have is my background as a GS-0341 Administrative Officer because I spent many years picking apart military regulations and policies to accomplish what my bosses wanted. I'm pig-headed enough to say "Show me the regulation" then go through every comma and semicolon.
Patience and persistence are often key to dealing with the VA.
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
MSG Thomas Currie Thank you, thank you I finally found somebody who understands me
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
MSG Thomas Currie every time I call the VA, my patience is getting less and less
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LTC Todd Lupold, For the most part I have been very happy with the VA in Omaha NE. The ER and the dental are fantastic and up until lately I have not been real happy with my primary care clynic The doctor. is still great but since the VA is so busy I seem to get the bums rush when I get to see him. I do have one big complaint though. Its with the vision dept. I had cataract surgery about 1 year ago. and I am regretful about it. Now I can't see close up without glasses wheras I could see close up without glasses before. I was not told of this situation before surgery. I have found out later that the VA only does the minimal surgery for cataracs. I would have spent the five thousand dollars outside the VA to fet the top notch surgery instead of the minimal one that I receiced. I no longer trust the VA eye dept although they are trying to still help me. Its not the doctors. Its the lack of information about the outcome. I received no data before the surgery I accept some of the fault but the eye clynic does too.
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Had surgery to correct deviated septum (nose). They used a local anesthetic instead of general. SEVERE pain as they were hacking the cartilage out.
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I was a healthy young woman, except for my toenail fungus I got in the service and the doctor refused to take my toenail off
He said it would just come back the same way
He said it would just come back the same way
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LTC (Join to see)
yes...fungal infections of the toenail are not resolved with removing the toenail because the fungus is in the nail matrix where it grows from. Medications can be used but have serious potential side effects and sometimes do not work effectively
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
LTC (Join to see) I was told that I am trying it because what do I have to lose? I got three bottles of pills and that’s all I’m going to get because it’s bad for your liver.
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I was a healthy 18-21 year old and didn’t need any medical stuff done until I got old like I am now
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I have seen both good and bad. I think my biggest problem is how long it can take for something to get done. There are times when everyone knows that a knee or ankle or shoulder is not going to get better with Phys Ther but according to the standards of the navy you have to go through all that before they will do an MRI and "determine" that surgery needs to be done.
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
LTC (Join to see) I have back problems and I did the darndest to get better and very expensive
My provider told me I needed physical therapy and it took seven weeks to get in
My provider told me I needed physical therapy and it took seven weeks to get in
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC Jo Ann Klawitter - yes I have been seeing this more often with long wait times to get into PT. Generally speaking, it is much easier to get into civilian, non-military PT than DOD or VA systems
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All Positive, From the time I walked into Bolling AFB Clinic unable to breath or speak. fixed me up in no time had me breathing and out the door. 36 moles removed at the Branch Clinic in London Had to play a word game, "I can't do "Cosmetic" Surger per se" "Aren't all moles possibly pre-cancerous Cdr" "Why yes they are we will do them in 3 sessions, lets begin" Had the best Cosmetic Surgeon in the Navy cutting my moles off. Usually had Senior Officers like O-6's as my Dentist. No complaints and all compliments. Even the Doc Tulip who operated a Clinic out of his barracks room (Patch up my Bike Oopses) and nerry an official word that it happened.
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
So happy chip that you got a good experience mine was quite the opposite
Still got the back pain after physical therapy and I waited for that for seven weeks
I’ve been told that the army VA does not have a dental program
I have been dealing with this problem for a long time and finally got a CT scan paid for by the VA and found I had an abscess tooth which was never discovered
I am going for my second round of oral surgery, and it is very expensive
Still got the back pain after physical therapy and I waited for that for seven weeks
I’ve been told that the army VA does not have a dental program
I have been dealing with this problem for a long time and finally got a CT scan paid for by the VA and found I had an abscess tooth which was never discovered
I am going for my second round of oral surgery, and it is very expensive
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
LTC (Join to see) my experience with the VA health system is quite the opposite as Chip
Getting a referral takes forever mostly because I have Community Care in. I am at a civilian hospital.
Getting a referral takes forever mostly because I have Community Care in. I am at a civilian hospital.
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The V. A. Medical Center in Johnson City, Tennessee is great. They take good care of me. I've yet to find a single person that was rude or disrespectful. From what I hear, I am very lucky to have this V.A. facility. I'm going through an issue right now and they wouldn't be able to get me in for months so they sent me to community care. I'd rather be at the V.A. facility but my need is more urgent than their time schedule currently.
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SFC Jo Ann Klawitter
You are lucky
I have Community Care and getting a hold of my Provider is just as bad as the VA
I have Community Care and getting a hold of my Provider is just as bad as the VA
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