How do you handle VA healthcare?

[mirawood]

Thank you Marcy & Gary. Right now I'm somewhat "stuck" in the Vegas area so keeping my primary care provider is fairly easy. I'm planning on enjoying life and freedom on the road within the next couple of months. I think I'll schedule my appointments as close together as possible. I'm going to look into having my meds sent to RV sites I plan on staying at. I appreciate the information. It was very helpful.

Bonnie

[mirawood]

I'm a disabled Vet with a 100% rating so all my heathcare is through the VA and Veterans choice. I think that I'm going to have to schedule my appointments as close together as possible. Fortunately, or not, most of my appointments are recurring every 3 or 6 months which should make it a little easier. It looks as though it may be to my advantage to plan ahead and have my scripts sent to an RV park that I stay at.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Bonnie

[mirawood]

Thank you. Let's just say healthcare through the VA can be interesting. It took the VA to send me to five different neurosurgeons to finally find someone willing to do back surgery on me. The doctors they kept sending me to had an average rating of 2 1/2 star reviews. One actually had open malpractice suits against him! I finally insisted that I pick the doctor I wanted to see after doing research on the ones that participated in Veterans Choice. I have to look at it as the VA has a sick sense of humor that needs to be taken in stride. LOL

[Second Chance]

Thank you Marcy & Gary. Right now I'm somewhat "stuck" in the Vegas area so keeping my primary care provider is fairly easy. I'm planning on enjoying life and freedom on the road within the next couple of months. I think I'll schedule my appointments as close together as possible. I'm going to look into having my meds sent to RV sites I plan on staying at. I appreciate the information. It was very helpful.

Bonnie

Bonnie,

I you hit "Reply With Quote" at the lower right (next to "Reply"), the person to whom you are replying/responding will receive a notice and know that you are interacting with them.

Rob

[WhittleBurner]

Thank you. Let's just say healthcare through the VA can be interesting. It took the VA to send me to five different neurosurgeons to finally find someone willing to do back surgery on me. The doctors they kept sending me to had an average rating of 2 1/2 star reviews. One actually had open malpractice suits against him! I finally insisted that I pick the doctor I wanted to see after doing research on the ones that participated in Veterans Choice. I have to look at it as the VA has a sick sense of humor that needs to be taken in stride. LOL

Bonnie, Life with VA healthcare is a challenge at times.

It might benefit you to know about a little known program called "Fee Basis", it pays for non VA approved Drs by getting them pre approved for payment. It takes planning in advance and applying for it , but so worth it if you have a Dr or surgeon you trust but not in the system. If the dr is worth his dirt they'll accept the VA payment and not bill you ( it's written that they can't bill a 100% Disabed vet) We still clarify that with the Dr. and his billing people. We used it in the past for Cardiology procedures until that Dr moved out of state.

There is also a new program we just learned about involving the ability to pick up scripts at VA med centers throughout the country without being registered. We aren't very familiar with it yet but it seems that each med center has to join the program and not many are participating yet. IF it get accepted by most VA med centers it could make getting scripts on the road so much easier. Still need to research it more and can't recall what they called it

[DougW9876]

My VAMC told me they will mail refills on prescriptions to me, they have my address where I will be for the winter and said since they mail all refills anywhay it doesn't matter where they send them.

This is my first year trying this so I hope it works as smoothly as I have been told.

[CWSWine]

I get 90 day supply from Express Scripts and was going to be gone when the next order was shipped. I spent two hours on Express Script website and on the phone trying to figure out what to do. Call Walmart and my prescriptions i take are on the 30day $5.00 list so just had my doctor right prescription for me and just pay the 5 bucks. I know that always the case and some drugs cost a bunch of bucks like my brother inlaws cancer medician at $15,000 per month.

[mirawood]

Bonnie,

I you hit "Reply With Quote" at the lower right (next to "Reply"), the person to whom you are replying/responding will receive a notice and know that you are interacting with them.

Rob

Thank you Rob. As you can tell, I'm very new at this.
Bonnie

[WhittleBurner]

I get 90 day supply from Express Scripts and was going to be gone when the next order was shipped. I spent two hours on Express Script website and on the phone trying to figure out what to do. Call Walmart and my prescriptions i take are on the 30day $5.00 list so just had my doctor right prescription for me and just pay the 5 bucks. I know that always the case and some drugs cost a bunch of bucks like my brother inlaws cancer medician at $15,000 per month.

I would be amazed if that written script was from a Dr in a VA med center, we asked for a written script once and the Dr looked at us like we were from outer space. They can't / won't write a script for outside pharmacys . The only written script we can get copy of is eye glasses

[WhittleBurner]

My VAMC told me they will mail refills on prescriptions to me, they have my address where I will be for the winter and said since they mail all refills anywhay it doesn't matter where they send them.

This is my first year trying this so I hope it works as smoothly as I have been told.

You should be getting meds. That seemed to be one thing the VA got right , the temporary change of address on line works as good as changing it at the mediacl center. They even got the start /stop dates right!