Brian Nuss

Review of Veteran’s Administration Pitts...

I went to the Pittsburgh VA for a physical and to ...

I went to the Pittsburgh VA for a physical and to quit smoking with Chantix. Everything seemed fine (except for the first time they had trouble drawing blood). However, after a few weeks I still didn't have my prescription. My wife had her prescription thru a civilian doctor weeks ago. I made several calls, and thru a social worker found out the provider put the request in wrong. This went on for about four months. Finally, I got the prescription. I took the pill, quit smoking, and as I was almost finished with the 30 day supply, no refill. I called, and again the scrip was put in wrong. This time I talked to a nurse (I think) and they said they'd get it fixed. He was very rude and wanted me to set up a follow-up appointment. At this point, I wouldn't trust the VA to fix a scraped knee. Two weeks later, I'm out of Chantix and still no refill. Imagine if this was blood pressure meds or something serious--I'd be dead.

The one bright spot was Sarah, the OIF social worker. She is the only reason I gave them an extra star. She worked tirelessly to cut through the red tape, and is the only reason I got the prescription in the first place. They need more people like her.

Bottom line, the Pittsburgh VA seems to be run more like a dysfunctional military personnel center than a hospital. Perhaps if they were run like a hospital with less red tape they would regain the trust of veterans.