A recent in-depth analysis by USA TODAY compared how VA medical centers measure up to other health care facilities across the country. The results showed that VA medical centers came out ahead in some respects. For instance, VA centers had lower death rates overall. However, VA hospitals seriously lag behind in a number of important aspects.
Emergency Room Wait Time
VA medical centers are notorious for having long ER wait times. However, the numbers are worse than anticipated. 70% of the VA hospitals had longer ER wait times than other facilities. More than 10% of the VA hospitals had ER wait times longer than 6.5 hours. This means that people with potentially serious medical conditions had to wait an inordinately long time before they were seen by a doctor. Long wait times in ERs can lead to serious health problems for patients.
Patient Safety
VA hospitals showed mixed results when it came to patient safety. VA hospitals did far worse than non-VA hospitals when it came to the rate of bedsores, but better overall when it came to blood clots after surgery. The VA Hospital in Manhattan ranked as the worst when it came to bedsores with a rate of 2.53 per 1,000 patients. Dozens of VA hospitals ranked high when it came to rates of post-surgical infections. Bedsores and infections can be a sign of hospital neglect.
Patient Satisfaction Surveys
According to patient surveys, veterans were overall dissatisfied with their experiences at VA hospitals. Nearly every VA facility scored less than non-VA facilities on patient satisfaction surveys. Most veterans felt that medical workers did not treat them with respect, failed to listen to them, and failed to respect what they had to say. Respect and communication are key to a doctor-patient relationship. The failure of a medical worker to listen and respect a patient can have serious implications when it comes to patient care, and can lead to misdiagnosis and improper treatment.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
If you’ve been injured as the result of substandard care in a hospital, you should have an experienced and trusted attorney evaluate your case. At Bonina & Bonina, P.C., we have over 50 years of experience helping New Yorkers injured by medical malpractice. Contact us online or call us at 1-888-MEDLAW1 to schedule your free consultation. Home and hospital visits are available. Se habla español.