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Anyone with enough sense won't stay around long enough to become one.
Homuculous - Walter Reed
- Thread starter militarymd
- Start date
Anyone with enough sense won't stay around long enough to become one.
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Perhaps, since he is no longer a physician.
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News roundup for 14 March 2007:
(1) Lt. Cmdr. Brandt E. Rice, a family medicine practitioner at the naval hospital, testified that doctors are saddled with too many administrative duties, lack enough time to devote to patients and face bureaucratic hassles. "My vocalness about this need has been met by some degree of resistance and also retaliation," Rice said.
(2) As a member of a team of health professionals put together by the National Academy of Sciences, I asked a national sample of 5,000 veterans about their healthcare. Their answers revealed many of the problems that are being "discovered" 30 years later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center... The two-volume "Report of the Committee on Health Care Resources in the Veterans Administration: Health care for American veterans" was rejected by Congress in 1977 and never published. Many recommendations that the academy's team of experts made would have spared our veterans a lot of problems with their healthcare
Here's a blog from a soldier at Walter Reed.
(1) Lt. Cmdr. Brandt E. Rice, a family medicine practitioner at the naval hospital, testified that doctors are saddled with too many administrative duties, lack enough time to devote to patients and face bureaucratic hassles. "My vocalness about this need has been met by some degree of resistance and also retaliation," Rice said.
(2) As a member of a team of health professionals put together by the National Academy of Sciences, I asked a national sample of 5,000 veterans about their healthcare. Their answers revealed many of the problems that are being "discovered" 30 years later at Walter Reed Army Medical Center... The two-volume "Report of the Committee on Health Care Resources in the Veterans Administration: Health care for American veterans" was rejected by Congress in 1977 and never published. Many recommendations that the academy's team of experts made would have spared our veterans a lot of problems with their healthcare
Here's a blog from a soldier at Walter Reed.
Does anyone who is active duty thinks that this panel will change anything? I am not trolling, nor trying to flame anyone/thing. I am just wondering what the outcome of this blue ribbon panel will be (considering DC has seen many blue ribbon panels come and go w/o any change to programs, etc.)?
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News roundup for 15 March 2007:
(1) The House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a measure yesterday that bars the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center
(2) A nurse responsible for monitoring care of frail military veterans didn't visit patients as required for two years and filed one report that listed a dead patient in stable condition, according to a federal inspection.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs has created a Web page through which service members may comment directly about their experience in accessing federal services.
(1) The House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved a measure yesterday that bars the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center
(2) A nurse responsible for monitoring care of frail military veterans didn't visit patients as required for two years and filed one report that listed a dead patient in stable condition, according to a federal inspection.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs has created a Web page through which service members may comment directly about their experience in accessing federal services.
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Subject: : FROM THE CHIEF OF CHAPLAINS WRAMC
> I have had enough and am going to give my perspective on the news about
> Walter Reed Army Medical Center . Please understand that I am speaking
> for myself and I am responsible for my thoughts alone. The news media
> and politicians are making it sound like Walter Reed is a terrible
> place and the staff here has been abusing our brave wounded soldiers;
> what a bunch of bull!
>
> I am completing my 24th year of service in the Army next month so you
> decide for yourself if I have the experience to write about this topic.
> I have been the senior clinical chaplain at Walter Reed for four years
> and will leave to go back to the infantry this summer. I supervise the
> chaplain staff inside Walter Reed that cares for the 200 inpatients,
> the 650+ daily
> outpatients from the war who come to us for medical
> care, the 4000+ staff, and over 3000 soldiers and their families that
> come for clinical appointments daily.
>
> Walter Reed has cared for over 5500 wounded from the war. I cannot
> count the number of sick and non-battle injured that have come through
> over that timeframe. The staff at this facility has done an incredible
> job at the largest US military medical center with the worst injured of
> the war. We have cared for over 400 amputees and their families. I am
> privileged to serve the wounded, their families, and our staff.
>
> When the news about building 18 broke I was on leave. I was in shock
> when the news broke. We in the chaplains office in Walter Reed, as well
> as the majori ty of people at Walter Reed, did not know anyone was in
> building 18. I didn't even know we had a building 18. How can that
> happen? Walter Reed is over 100 acres of 66 buildings on
> two
> installations. Building 18 is not on the installation of Walter Reed and
> was believed to be closed years ago by our department.
>
> The fact that some leaders in the medical brigade that is in charge of
> the outpatients put soldiers in there is terrible. That is why the
> company commander, first sergeant, and a group of platoon leaders and
> platoon sergeants were relieved immediately. They failed their soldiers
> and the Army. The commanding general was later relieved (more about
> this) and his sergeant major has been told to move on--if he gets to.
> The brigade sergeant major was relieved and more relief's are sure to
> come and need to.
>
> As any leader knows, if you do not take care of soldiers, lie, and then
> try to cover it up, you are not worthy of the commission you hold and
> should be sent packing. I have
> no issue, and am actually proud, that
> they did relieve the leaders they found who knew of the terrible
> conditions some of our outpatients were enduring. The media is making
> it sound like these conditions are rampant at Walter Reed and nothing
> could be further from the truth. We need improvements and will now get
> them. I hate it that it took this to make it happen.
>
> The Army and the media made MG Weightman, our CG, out to be the problem
> and fired him. This was a great injustice. He was only here for six
> months, is responsible for military medical care in the 20 Northeast
> states, wears four "hats" of responsibilities, and relies on his
> subordinate leaders to know what is happening in their areas of
> responsibilities. He has a colonel that runs the hospital (my hospital
> commander), a colonel that runs the
> medical brigade (where the
> outpatient wounded are assigned and supposedly cared for), and a
> colonel that is responsible to run the garrison and installation.
>
> What people don't know is that he was making many changes as he became
> aware of them and had requested money to fix other places on the
> installation.
>
> The Army did not come through until four months after he asked for the
> money, remember that he was here only six months, which was only days
> before they relieved him. His leaders responsible for outpatient care
> did not tell him about conditions in building 18. He has been an
> incredible leader who really cares about the wounded, their families,
> and our staff. I cannot say the same about a former commander, who was
> my first commander here at Walter Reed, and definitely knew about many
> problems and is in the position to fix them and he did not.
>
> MG Weightman also should not be held responsible for the military's
> unjust and inefficient medical board system and the problems in the VA
> system. We lost a great leader and passionate man who showed he had the
> guts to make changes and was doing
> so when he was made the scapegoat for
> others.
>
> What I am furious about is that the media is making it sound like all
> of Walter Reed is like building 18. Nothing could be further from the
> truth.
>
> No system is perfect but the medical staff provides great care in this
> hospital. What needs to be addressed, and finally will, is the
> bureaucratic
> garbage that all soldiers are put through going into medical boards and
> medical retirements. Congress is finally giving the money that people
> have asked for at Walter Reed for years to fix places on the installations
> and address shortcomings. What they don't want you to know is Congress
> caused many problems by the BRAC process saying they were closing Walter
> Reed.
>
> We cannot keep nor attract all the quality people we need at Walter
> Reed when they know this place will close in several years and they are
> not promised a job at the new hospital. Then they did this thing call
> A76 where they fired many of the workers here for a company of
> contractors, IAP, to get a contract to provide care outside the
> hospital proper. The company, which is responsib le for maintenance,
> only hired half the number of people as there were originally assigned
> to maintenance areas to save money. Walter Reed leadership fought the
> A76 and BRAC process for years, but lost. Congress instituted the BRAC
> and A76 process; not the leadership of Walter Reed.
>
> What I wish everyone would also hear is that
> for every horror story we
> are now hearing about in the media that truly needs to be addressed,
> you are not hearing about the hundreds of other wounded and injured
> soldiers who tell a story of great care they received. You are not
> hearing about the incredibly high morale of our troops and the fact
> that most of them want to go back, be with their teammates, and finish
> the job properly. You should be very proud of the wounded troopers we
> have at Walter Reed. They make me so proud to be in the Army and I will
> fight to get their story out.
>
> I want you to hear the whole story because our wounded, their families,
> our Army, and the nation need to know that many in the media and select
> politicians have an agenda. Forget agendas and make the changes that
> have been needed for years to fix problems in
> every military hospital
> and the VA system. The poor leaders will be identified and sent packing
> and good riddance to them.
>
> I wish the same could be said for the politicians and media personalities
> who are also responsible but now want it to look like they are very
> concerned. Where have they been for the last four years? I am ashamed
> of what they all did and the pain it has caused many to think that
> everyone
> is like
> that.
>
> Please know that you are not hearing the whole story. Please know that
> there are thousands of dedicated soldiers and civilian medical staff
> caring for your soldiers and their families. When I leave here I will end
> up
> deploying. When soldiers in my division have to go to Walter Reed
> from the battlefield, I know they will get great medical care. I pray that
> you
> know the same thing.
>
> God bless all our troops and their families wherever they may be.
> God bless you all,
>
> +Chaplain John L. Kallerson
> Senior Chaplain Clinician
> Walter Reed Army Medical Center
> I have had enough and am going to give my perspective on the news about
> Walter Reed Army Medical Center . Please understand that I am speaking
> for myself and I am responsible for my thoughts alone. The news media
> and politicians are making it sound like Walter Reed is a terrible
> place and the staff here has been abusing our brave wounded soldiers;
> what a bunch of bull!
>
> I am completing my 24th year of service in the Army next month so you
> decide for yourself if I have the experience to write about this topic.
> I have been the senior clinical chaplain at Walter Reed for four years
> and will leave to go back to the infantry this summer. I supervise the
> chaplain staff inside Walter Reed that cares for the 200 inpatients,
> the 650+ daily
> outpatients from the war who come to us for medical
> care, the 4000+ staff, and over 3000 soldiers and their families that
> come for clinical appointments daily.
>
> Walter Reed has cared for over 5500 wounded from the war. I cannot
> count the number of sick and non-battle injured that have come through
> over that timeframe. The staff at this facility has done an incredible
> job at the largest US military medical center with the worst injured of
> the war. We have cared for over 400 amputees and their families. I am
> privileged to serve the wounded, their families, and our staff.
>
> When the news about building 18 broke I was on leave. I was in shock
> when the news broke. We in the chaplains office in Walter Reed, as well
> as the majori ty of people at Walter Reed, did not know anyone was in
> building 18. I didn't even know we had a building 18. How can that
> happen? Walter Reed is over 100 acres of 66 buildings on
> two
> installations. Building 18 is not on the installation of Walter Reed and
> was believed to be closed years ago by our department.
>
> The fact that some leaders in the medical brigade that is in charge of
> the outpatients put soldiers in there is terrible. That is why the
> company commander, first sergeant, and a group of platoon leaders and
> platoon sergeants were relieved immediately. They failed their soldiers
> and the Army. The commanding general was later relieved (more about
> this) and his sergeant major has been told to move on--if he gets to.
> The brigade sergeant major was relieved and more relief's are sure to
> come and need to.
>
> As any leader knows, if you do not take care of soldiers, lie, and then
> try to cover it up, you are not worthy of the commission you hold and
> should be sent packing. I have
> no issue, and am actually proud, that
> they did relieve the leaders they found who knew of the terrible
> conditions some of our outpatients were enduring. The media is making
> it sound like these conditions are rampant at Walter Reed and nothing
> could be further from the truth. We need improvements and will now get
> them. I hate it that it took this to make it happen.
>
> The Army and the media made MG Weightman, our CG, out to be the problem
> and fired him. This was a great injustice. He was only here for six
> months, is responsible for military medical care in the 20 Northeast
> states, wears four "hats" of responsibilities, and relies on his
> subordinate leaders to know what is happening in their areas of
> responsibilities. He has a colonel that runs the hospital (my hospital
> commander), a colonel that runs the
> medical brigade (where the
> outpatient wounded are assigned and supposedly cared for), and a
> colonel that is responsible to run the garrison and installation.
>
> What people don't know is that he was making many changes as he became
> aware of them and had requested money to fix other places on the
> installation.
>
> The Army did not come through until four months after he asked for the
> money, remember that he was here only six months, which was only days
> before they relieved him. His leaders responsible for outpatient care
> did not tell him about conditions in building 18. He has been an
> incredible leader who really cares about the wounded, their families,
> and our staff. I cannot say the same about a former commander, who was
> my first commander here at Walter Reed, and definitely knew about many
> problems and is in the position to fix them and he did not.
>
> MG Weightman also should not be held responsible for the military's
> unjust and inefficient medical board system and the problems in the VA
> system. We lost a great leader and passionate man who showed he had the
> guts to make changes and was doing
> so when he was made the scapegoat for
> others.
>
> What I am furious about is that the media is making it sound like all
> of Walter Reed is like building 18. Nothing could be further from the
> truth.
>
> No system is perfect but the medical staff provides great care in this
> hospital. What needs to be addressed, and finally will, is the
> bureaucratic
> garbage that all soldiers are put through going into medical boards and
> medical retirements. Congress is finally giving the money that people
> have asked for at Walter Reed for years to fix places on the installations
> and address shortcomings. What they don't want you to know is Congress
> caused many problems by the BRAC process saying they were closing Walter
> Reed.
>
> We cannot keep nor attract all the quality people we need at Walter
> Reed when they know this place will close in several years and they are
> not promised a job at the new hospital. Then they did this thing call
> A76 where they fired many of the workers here for a company of
> contractors, IAP, to get a contract to provide care outside the
> hospital proper. The company, which is responsib le for maintenance,
> only hired half the number of people as there were originally assigned
> to maintenance areas to save money. Walter Reed leadership fought the
> A76 and BRAC process for years, but lost. Congress instituted the BRAC
> and A76 process; not the leadership of Walter Reed.
>
> What I wish everyone would also hear is that
> for every horror story we
> are now hearing about in the media that truly needs to be addressed,
> you are not hearing about the hundreds of other wounded and injured
> soldiers who tell a story of great care they received. You are not
> hearing about the incredibly high morale of our troops and the fact
> that most of them want to go back, be with their teammates, and finish
> the job properly. You should be very proud of the wounded troopers we
> have at Walter Reed. They make me so proud to be in the Army and I will
> fight to get their story out.
>
> I want you to hear the whole story because our wounded, their families,
> our Army, and the nation need to know that many in the media and select
> politicians have an agenda. Forget agendas and make the changes that
> have been needed for years to fix problems in
> every military hospital
> and the VA system. The poor leaders will be identified and sent packing
> and good riddance to them.
>
> I wish the same could be said for the politicians and media personalities
> who are also responsible but now want it to look like they are very
> concerned. Where have they been for the last four years? I am ashamed
> of what they all did and the pain it has caused many to think that
> everyone
> is like
> that.
>
> Please know that you are not hearing the whole story. Please know that
> there are thousands of dedicated soldiers and civilian medical staff
> caring for your soldiers and their families. When I leave here I will end
> up
> deploying. When soldiers in my division have to go to Walter Reed
> from the battlefield, I know they will get great medical care. I pray that
> you
> know the same thing.
>
> God bless all our troops and their families wherever they may be.
> God bless you all,
>
> +Chaplain John L. Kallerson
> Senior Chaplain Clinician
> Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- Joined
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Please understand the differences between the "socialized medicine" and "single payer" systems. The real problem with the military is that it has embraced the worst aspects of both systems: Single payer (Tricare) who dictates reimbursement rates and referral patterns and a "socialized medicine" labor force, i.e., all employees are directly employed by the goverment, so you have all the bullspit civil service regulations that delay hiring or rewarding good employees and prevent getting rid of bad ones, plus centrally funded, non-market-driven budget allocations made via political manuevering in congress rather than by supply-demand.
X-RMD
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Tens of thousands of patient contacts and nobody had ever heard anything about Bldg 18? I find that a little hard to believe, especially since chaplains are such a common "venting route" for patient complaints.
The problem likely comes down to that they all thought that one of the others was dealing with the problem. I can easily see the hospital and garrison commanders fighting over who should be responsible for a building that houses patients but isn't actually a hospital and isn't even technically on post. What I think is eventually going to happen is that we find out that the problems have been known about for quite a while but there was just a lot of bureaucratic infighting regarding who was supposed to fix them.
Agreed. The med board process is a pain for both patients and physicians. I absolutely hated doing med boards. But here's another slant on that matter -- it may not be a popular point, but it is nevertheless a genuine problem: There is a subset of patients whose medical board delays and other problems are of their own making. This group insists that every possible ailment they've ever experienced in their lives be included in their board process. We had patients on Med Hold who came in with some clearly service-related problem and then demanded that things with absolutely no relationship to military service be declared "service connected" so they could max our their disability rating. And if anything developed while they were on Med Hold, that in turn had to be fully evaluated and added to their med board, causing even more delays. If anything was deemed "non-service-related," it generated complaints to congressmen, lawyers, etc, thereby tying up even more physician time in responding to those complaints. I have seen pateints like this extend their time in med hold for over a year beyond what should have been their departure date. These individuals were the bane of the MTF and were generally felt to be "system scammers" who were draining resources from where they were more needed. It's clearly a minority, but they are a very vocal minority, and I'd be interested to see how many patients who claim to have overly-prolonged med board processes actually fit this profile.
Unfortunately, good news just doesn't sell . . .
Changes alone are not the answer. The military and congress are great at making "changes," but changes are not necessarily improvements. I am not optimistic that much will "change" other than some cosmetic and temporary budgetary shenanigans and some different faces to replace the heads that were lopped off, justifiably or otherwise.
X-RMD
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2004
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- 459
News roundup for 19 March 2007:
(1) An Army contract to privatize maintenance at Walter Reed Medical Center was delayed more than three years amid bureaucratic bickering and legal squabbles that led to staff shortages and a hospital in disarray... While medical care was not directly affected, needed repairs went undone as the non-medical staff shrank from almost 300 to less than 50 in the last year and hospital officials were unable to find enough skilled replacements... IAP is owned by a New York hedge fund whose board is chaired by former Treasury Secretary John Snow, and it is led by former executives of Kellogg, Brown and Root, the subsidiary spun off by Texas-based Halliburton Inc., the oil services firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney
(2) Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Conn., and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., have written a letter to the secretary of defense to express concern that the Defense Department's Mental Health Task Force will not release its report in June because the task force's co-chair, Army Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, has retired.
(3) Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged today on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he was "angered and offended" when he learned of problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but recognizes they don't reflect on the hospital's top-notch medical staff... "I actually thanked the reporters for bringing it to our attention."
(4) Army officials this morning launched a new hotline to help wounded warriors and their family members to get information or assistance with medical or other issues... The "Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline," 1-800-984-8523, also will help Army leaders improve services to wounded soldiers and their families, officials said.
(1) An Army contract to privatize maintenance at Walter Reed Medical Center was delayed more than three years amid bureaucratic bickering and legal squabbles that led to staff shortages and a hospital in disarray... While medical care was not directly affected, needed repairs went undone as the non-medical staff shrank from almost 300 to less than 50 in the last year and hospital officials were unable to find enough skilled replacements... IAP is owned by a New York hedge fund whose board is chaired by former Treasury Secretary John Snow, and it is led by former executives of Kellogg, Brown and Root, the subsidiary spun off by Texas-based Halliburton Inc., the oil services firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney
(2) Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Conn., and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., have written a letter to the secretary of defense to express concern that the Defense Department's Mental Health Task Force will not release its report in June because the task force's co-chair, Army Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, has retired.
(3) Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates acknowledged today on CBS's "Face the Nation" that he was "angered and offended" when he learned of problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, but recognizes they don't reflect on the hospital's top-notch medical staff... "I actually thanked the reporters for bringing it to our attention."
(4) Army officials this morning launched a new hotline to help wounded warriors and their family members to get information or assistance with medical or other issues... The "Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline," 1-800-984-8523, also will help Army leaders improve services to wounded soldiers and their families, officials said.
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He forgot to mention the military's equally proud tradition of hammering those outspoken underlings with "kiss-of-death" fitness reports, letters of reprimand, etc.
Blanck's a (former) general. That automatically makes him a lying SOB in my book...
ExNavyRad
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It doesn't seem like this has been mentioned here yet, but an article two days ago caught my eye regarding WRAMC and a House proposal to *not* close it after all. If this somehow passes, does anyone else see this as a big thing, at least in the context of having Congress reverse a BRAC decision (for the first time ever, according to the article)?
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