Minneapolis VA Health Care System

Reviews 7

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Diane Reilly

My husband came to your facility in April of this year from the Iowa City, Iowa VA for a 2 vessel bypass. We were told by Iowa City that you were the best place for heart issues. The nursing care he received was substandard at best, except for one nurse on his next to last day. I am a nurse, so I do know that we all can have bad days, but hopefully not everyone at the same time. The Fisher House was an amazing place to stay for families, very knowledgeable and caring people run it. Iowa City asked how we liked your facility, we told them, they assured us someone from there would be contacting us. Nothing so far. Now to make matters worse, his arterial graft has shut down completely (apparently this is almost unheard of after 3 months) and there is significant narrowing at the top and bottom of the 2nd graft. We think perhaps a Fellow performed the surgery. We were never told this was even a possibility. We met only the surgeon prior to surgery. Was told he was an awesome surgeon. My husband had a liver transplant in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania VA. Had a great experience there. So I feel qualified to rate your system. Our Veterans deserve better treatment than my husband received at your facility. Perhaps your lack of response from Iowa City requests show that your problems start at the top.

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Tom Wesley

The VA Medical Center has been the EPI center of my health care for the past 14 plus years. Service when at this facility has been nothing more than the greatest. When you call depending on the day or the time you may encounter things or issues that you dont know how to handle. Ive taken a few issues to the Patient Advocacy Office on a few items that needed immediate attention. Example: Getting Refills and cancelling refills with out you aware until its too late. This is one issue that should never happen. The doctor sees you, goes over the drug list, should be able to tell when the dates are going to cease and your next appointment. This is one of the biggest issues Ive come across. There has to be a method, a means of training to the physician to ensure they remember to check as well. We the patients are excited we are getting seen and at times will miss a particular topic or med. Even so, there should be a means of having a quality check. Why not the nurses? Or the Clinic staff at the counter. Want to know more, invite me to the next clinical staff meeting for open forum. I used to run clinics and emergency rooms. I dont know everything but I think the oblivious is being missed.

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Cheryl Barker

I was so pleased to see so many positive reviews of the Minneapolis Hospital. I feel exactly the same. My personal experience deals with a lifelong (ever since childhood) case of clinical depression. In my earlier years, if would come and go; as I aged, it became more frequent. Finally, (I think it was 1999 or maybe 2000), the depression settled in to stay, and it was horrible. Id spent a lot of time and money in and out of civilian hospitals; Id tried many medications; but nothing would help. The Minneapolis VA hospital found the right combination of meds (not even in high doses!), and I finally had a life. This was roughly 17 years ago, and I continue to be well -- no more depression. Shortly after, a civilian eye doctor found an anomoly in one of my eyes. I couldnt see it; he could, using his instruments; but he didnt know what it was. Again, the Minneapolis VA came to my rescue, and diagnosed the problem immediately. Better yet, it wasnt really a problem. It was an innocuous "freckle" way back in my eye. Now, the VA checks my vision, and especially the "freckle," once per year, just in case there would be a change. So far theres been no change, so thats good news.

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Kerm Morgan

The phone system at VA MPLS is horrible. After getting a great consult and timely service on an authorization for special shoes at the clinic in Rochester MN. I was under the illusion that the VA actually worked. This was 8 Feb. It was not until 16 Feb that i could get through to podiatry in MPLS. I spent at least three hours on the phone in voice mail jail and was disconnected at least five times. In addition the music is warped scratchy and plain terrible. I let three messages with Mike Rosecrans to return my call all to no avail, he is masquerading as a veterans advocate and should be replaced and now.It is a pitiful situation when the good work of staff nurses and doctors is negated by the incompetent and disinterested leaders who cannot fix a phone system. If this was a private business it would not exist for six months. I have given decades of my life to veterans and veterans advocacy, am a member of most key veterans organizations and am embarassed, angry, and demand that Kelly fix this problem or get out of the way and let somebody in that can. Veterans and their families reading this MUST DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY and leadership there must be replaced.

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Gerald Senear

I spent four months at the Minneapolis VA after "Life Saving" emergency surgery. The Minneapolis VA is 2nd to none. During that 4 months and in subsequent visits I have not met anything but caring Staff, Doctors and Nurses. Signs are posted in all the waiting rooms that if you have to wait 30 min. beyond your scheduled appointment please contact the ward desk. The Hospital itself is beautiful. One of, if not the best, in the United States. During the day the Emergency Room is always filled and patients are triaged like any other Emergency Room in the United States. Waiting times are much better than County Hospitals in Minnesota. Even the large Trauma Centers Like the County Hospital in Minneapolis. Now they have installed a new parking ramp that does away with the parking problems noted in some of the other reviews. All in all the Minneapolis VA is one of the best VA Hospitals in the Nation. Yes we vets served and should have respect and the medical benefits offered by the VA but we should also show appreciation for the fine Medical Services the Minneapolis VA provides. All at no cost to the Vet.

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Katherine Wang

The VA has failed my husband. After serving 12 years active duty and recently transitioning to the Minnesota Guard he was given unnerving results on an MRI of his cervical and lumbar spine. On top of the chronic pain he essentially can be paralyzed in a short period of time and is experiencing neuropathy and foot drop. The VA has continued to loose his paperwork getting him into a Neurosurgeon for the past 7 weeks! He even went to the emergency room where he was told a specialist needed to see him. Veterans choice and the VA will not give him an answer or referral and continues to give him the run around. He is the father of three children and has served multiple tours overseas. This kind of treatment of our soldiers and veterans is despicable. Not only is he suffering but his three children ages 11, 8 and 9 months dont have their father after all his years of service! I am horrified this type of treatment continues. The most disturbing part, my husbands thoughts on this subject "no wonder so many vets resort to suicide....."

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Kevin Johnson

Quite simply, this place saved my life and continues to do so to this day. I have a rare form of Cancer called Plasmoblastic Lymphoma (NH - Stage 4) that literally had me lying on my deathbed. For no other reason than it MIGHT work The VA doctors went ahead and began treating me with a Chemotherapy regime called EPOCH. It was not unlike putting Oil into a car with a blown engine hoping it might start. (Oh, thats 10-20 thousand dollar a pint oil BTW) I do believe, to this day that any other hospital would have made the the much more fiscally sound and justifiably prudent decision to give me palliative care and let me die with the week. My cancer went into remission and stayed that way for 18 months, !8 of the best months of my life. Yeah, its come back, but we caught it early enough to knock it back down with the DHAP chemo regime and Im eligible for a bone marrow transplant next year. Thanks to the VA I have a fight chance for a quite a few more good years.

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