VA hires doctors with malpractice claims
USAToday tells the story of neurosurgeon John Henry Schneider who lost his license to practice in Wyoming due to a number of malpractice claims which resulted in a number of maimed, paralyzed and dead patients. He also had a license in Montana, so when he applied for a job at the VA, even though he was forthright in the application about his loss of a license in Wyoming, the VA still hired him. USAToday says that’s not an isolated case;
A VA hospital in Oklahoma knowingly hired a psychiatrist previously sanctioned for sexual misconduct who went on to sleep with a VA patient, according to internal documents. A Louisiana VA clinic hired a psychologist with felony convictions. The VA ended up firing him after they determined he was a “direct threat to others” and the VA’s mission.
As a result of USA TODAY’s investigation of Schneider, VA officials determined his hiring — and potentially that of an unknown number of other doctors — was illegal.
When the VA began action to fire Schneider last week, he resigned. I hope any others will follow his example.
Personally, I’ve never had a problem with doctors or nursing staff at the VA. My problem has always been with administration staff. But, that’s me.
Thanks to Bobo for the link.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
I imagine it is very difficult to hire doctors and nurses at the VA and pickings are slim. I know I would never work there. My sister is a RN and she did it for 6 months and was like NOPE! It was in the mental health clinic, I was scared for her a lot.
The National Practitioners Data Bank is of no use if hiring authorities ignore its (NPDB) findings.
and now you see the weakness in the NICS background checks
Makes me wonder if they check against the SAM or HHS exclusion lists too.
BTW, number one exclusion reason….defaulted student loans.
“Personally, I’ve never had a problem with doctors or nursing staff at the VA. My problem has always been with administration staff. But, that’s me.”
–Jonn
Same for me.
Ditto, but my health is generally good, anyway, and I don’t haunt the VA. I just go get my flu shot and that’s about it.
I have always been treated excellent at the VA. The doctors and nurses are top notch.. The problems I have are the people you don’t see.. The ones that do your claim and deny or downgrade them.. I hope that in Missouri they check before hiring..
It’s always the pencil necked paper pushers that wreck everything for the rest of us…
I too have great respect for the caretakers at the VA, they have saved my life three times and my soul once…
Whoa!!
I’d call that a Grand-Slam, Brother!
I’m retired so I have tri-care prime
I’ve had a few minor issues with the VA
But most of it was miscommunication
I’m a happy camper so far
But I’d probably think twice before I’d let them
Cut me open..
just saying
They probably won’t even want to until you’re a lot older Skippy. It seems they prefer not to do surgeries unless they have to.
WAR STORY ALERT. I had 20% service connected on my back, I tell people it was from grabbing a box of ammo on the run during the second Berlin crisis but it was really because a dumb shit 1SGT made three skinny kids unload a piano to impress a USO honey at RAF Burtonwood.
A VA doctor examined me and said at 65ish I was healing and tried to reduce my disability. The guy actually dozed off twice during the exam. An Army doc who previously was a WO PA who had a soft spot for WO’s took an x-ray, marked it up with a grease pencil and said show this to the VA. I went to the Little Rock VA IG who was a retired E-9, gave him the x-ray and told the story. About a month later I was upped to 40%. My wife said, maybe I was entitled to 30% but they gave me 40 to shut me up. As always, she was right.
In 2009/2010, I worked as the Veteran’s Representative for Illinois Congressman Bobby Schilling.
We crafted legislation that would allow eligible veterans to use local doctors/hospitals if they desired. If they wanted to continue to use the VA Med Center, that was fine too.
After the legislation was submitted, the VA came out in opposition to the bill. They’re reasoning was the non-VA doctors couldn’t possibility treat veterans. The bill was eventually killed.
The real reason was that the VA wants to keep us on the VA reservation so they won’t see a reduction in the VA funding.
It wasn’t until the Phoenix, VA fiasco, that Rep. Jeff Miller was able to introduce similar legislation which the VA couldn’t oppose that we saw a change in the way veterans are allowed to select their own doctors.
True change will occur when we are allowed w/o the VA’s permission to use our own private doctors if we want to.
Until the, we’re still beholding to the politicians at the VA.
What’s so difficult in just giving the vet an ID card, which he/she can present to their doctor? The card would also bill VA directly for the office visit, meds and procedures.
Is that too difficult a concept to grasp, or too simple a concept to grasp?
“John Henry”….neurosurgeon….seems a bit of a heavy handed name for the practice…perhaps the sledgehammer in the OR was an indicator
I have been on credentialing committees in several major hospitals in southern California. The retrieval of information from prior hospitals, actions on their practice
privileges,adverse professional encounters of any kind and of course malpractice claims (settled or dropped is key.
The committee pursues that information vigorously (or they should) and requires the applicant physician to be forthcoming and cooperate to produce all information required. At that time most troubled physicians will drop the application when they know an adverse history will be present before the board. Most frequent problems were fellows who mentioned a few malpractice claims when there were many more. Also they would falsify training and board certification documents. How this fellow got into the VA system shows a very poorly run Credentials Committee which always puts patients at risk. Caveat emptor
CAPT Bones Medical Corps USN (ret)
I retired from private industry in 2007 at 62 and was on Cobra (18th month med coverage) but could not sign up for the VA because I did not serve in Vietnam, Korea and WW2. Turns out that in 2003, bush put a cap on the va funding so that put me in the shit out of luck class. Paid mucho bucks for coverage on united health care until 2010 when I got into Medicare so as far as the VA is concerned, they can go and scratch. Might have been different if I signed up as soon as I got out of the Navy.
Gee, my condolences on not being able to get taxpayer subsidized medical welfare and having to pay your own way.
Look on the bright side. You didn’t have to wait for months to see some random doctor.
Welfare huh?
No service connected injuries, not retired military, yep, welfare. Show me the enlistment contract that says you get free lifetime medical care for enlisting.
He must have missed the lectures where they teach neurosurgeons the most important first rule, “First, Do No Harm”….
ouch
All these articles do is remind me how happy I am that my private insurance works so well.
Hey, single-payer healthcare… Bernie promises it’ll be swell!!
Par for the course.
I wonder if the VA will defend him? Or pimp it out to a Federal Attorney?
Call VA Regional Counsel (VISN 19) and ask VA Regional Counsel LTC Retired (USAR) Jeff Stacey what he thinks. Also ask him about how they will defend this person and under what grounds. You will love this guy! Crooks hire crooks. VA all the way!!!!!
His publicly available government office number: (303) 914-5810.
The V A is by far the worst place to work as an Anesthesiologist
I trained at one during my residency and I was amazed
The negative attitude of the staff, the laziness, and substandard care are incredible!
The only docs who work there are the ones who could make it in private practice
You cannot be fired from a V A position!