Comments on: The Future Under Socialized Medicine?

By: rogue medic

rogue medic — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:20:36 +0000

It does vary from VA to VA. Some of the employees seem to take pleasure in being infantile.

At the local VA nursing home, they do not allow the patients to have internet access. The administration claims it is a security risk. It is more likely that the patients would have an easier time notifying news organizations of the problems with patient care. Or maybe people who sacrificed mobility defending their country really are Osama bin Ladin’s Fifth Column.

By: WhiteCoat

WhiteCoat — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:47:06 +0000

During my training, I did, and it was permeated by a “not my job,” “I’ll get to it whenever,” “not while I’m on my lunch break” type of attitude. In addition, most VA patients that I see in the ED purposely seek care outside the VA for their problems. In the VA system in my region, it is a foregone conclusion that you can’t access medical records or anyone to help you if you’re calling them outside of normal business hours. Don’t even waste your time trying.
I realize that my single experience is not necessarily representative of all VA systems, but my personal impression is not very good.

By: ERdoc

ERdoc — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 21:17:15 +0000

Have you ever worked in the VA hospital? I was actually quite impressed with their EMR system. The only patients displaced by Katrina whose medical records were not lost in the shuffle were VA patients.

By: sch

sch — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:10:55 +0000

VA made the software available as compressed down
loads awhile back, it is unclear what exactly was
offered except it was described as the EMR package
they used. First packet was 400+ MB, second
follow on packet was ~1.5GB. IIRC there were a
few supplementals, much smaller as well.

By: HyperAl

HyperAl — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:53:58 +0000

And if somebody is injured by this glitches, who is liable the hospital/doctors or the software manufacturers or maybe the goverment for mandating it?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:40:29 +0000

At the VA where I work there were multiple emails sent out about the software glitch. We had to acknowledge receipt of said announcements. I do not write inpatient orders very often, so did not notice the glitch personally.
I doubt many patients were harmed over and above the usual mishaps which typically occur in teaching hospitals.
But that being said, each time they update CPRS there are new functionalities being added. Yet we don’t get much in the way of inservices regarding the software changes and are frequently left to figure out what has changed and how to look up data in a different way.
But before you condemn the gubmint, be aware that my boss also works at a local private hospital which implemented its EMR to much fanfare a couple years ago. He says it is much less user friendly than the VA system and he’d rather have the VA EMR anyday.