BELLA VISTA — I suspect that the level of care you get from the Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers and clinics depends on who's at the top.

Until the situation was exposed, you ran the risk of not getting correct treatment for prostate cancer at one medical center. At another, the equipment for colonoscopies was found to be contaminated.

A third facility sent out scary letters to veterans indicating they'd had a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) when it was not true.

But there's always a flip side to the horror stories. A friend of mine says he's had only excellent care at a certain department in the local medical center ... AFTER each and every person there was fired and new staff was brought in.

Prior to the sweep, patients were subjected to inept treatment by surly medical and administrative staff and appointments that were either canceled without notice or made for the wrong day. Now, post-sweep, patients can call and get a pleasant person on the phone, get cooperation in the scheduling of appointments, and feel very positive about their care.

So, what accounts for the differences in the level of care at medical centers and clinics across the country? Since everyone is working from the same VA playbook and manual of instruction, the only variables left are 1) the people who work there, and 2) those who manage them.

The requirements for basic courtesy and competence come from the top. It's just like any other industry: If the boss doesn't respect the clients -- in this case the veterans -- staff further down the hierarchy won't either.

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Write to Freddy Groves in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@gmail.com.

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.

Entertainment, Pages 21 on 10/28/2009

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