Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Shinseki’s resignation: Rearranging Titanic deck chairs at the VA

Brian C. Joondeph, MD
Policy
July 5, 2014
Share
Tweet
Share

As the VA scandal unfolds, with continued revelations of secret waitlists and delayed or denied medical care, calls have been building Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. He did just that, resigning because, “He had become a distraction as the department struggles.”

President Obama, eager to show America that he was being proactive about the scandal, regretfully accepted the General’s resignation. But other than allowing the president to show that he is doing something about the problem, what will Shinseki’s departure actually accomplish or fix?

The VA health care system is an example of integrated health care or one-stop shopping for all medical care under one large government umbrella. Many have advocated for such a system of single payer healthcare for America writ large. Phillip Longman, a senior fellow at the Washington Monthly and the New America Foundation, wrote a book, “Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care Would Work Better For Everyone,” praising the same system currently undergoing a massive crisis.

The fundamental problem at the VA is not that Shinseki is in charge, but that the VA is a form of government-run health care, which leads to high costs and shortages. Stories abound over long wait lists in the British NHS, with over a hundred thousand patients waiting more than 18 weeks to see a specialist. Or in New Zealand, where patients are simply removed from the wait list when the list gets too long.

The VA system represents government bureaucracy and inefficiency at its finest. At the Edward Hines VA Hospital, in the president’s home town of Chicago, only one-fourth of their 4,230 employees are actually providing primary medical care. What are the other 75 percent of employees doing? Shuffling papers, creating secret wait lists, or holding meetings?

The VA’s problems are not for lack of money. Their budget has doubled over the past decade with only a one-third increase in their patient load. So they are spending more money per patient with little to show for it — except for the bureaucrats and administrators who have been generously rewarded. The VA awarded more than $400 million in bonuses in 2011, according to Military.com. At the Phoenix VA, where this scandal first surfaced, one in five employees received bonuses in 2013, with a total payout of $337,885.

How will any of this change with General Shinseki’s resignation? The secretary already tried to fix the problem by firing the VA undersecretary of health, Dr. Robert Petzel, who was already due to retire this year. He was replaced by Dr. Jeffrey Murawsky, the director of VA’s Great Lakes Health Care System which includes Hines VA where most of the staff is busy administrating. This makes perfect sense within government bureaucracy: Find someone responsible for overseeing an inefficient and bloated regional morass, and promote them to oversee the entire system.

With General Shinseki’s resignation, who wants to bet he will be replaced by a Dr. Petzel or Dr. Murawsky, well steeped in the VA bureaucratic traditions that are the cause of this current scandal and General Shinseki’s departure? This may allow the president and members of Congress to feel good about fixing the problem, but in reality they are only rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Brian C. Joondeph is an ophthalmologist and can be reached on Twitter @retinaldoctor.  This article originally appeared in The Daily Caller.

Prev

When school boards fancy themselves health care providers

July 5, 2014 Kevin 41
…
Next

What to know about children's enuresis and nighttime wetting

July 5, 2014 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Public Health & Policy

Post navigation

< Previous Post
When school boards fancy themselves health care providers
Next Post >
What to know about children's enuresis and nighttime wetting

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Brian C. Joondeph, MD

  • Ophthalmology in the era of COVID-19

    Brian C. Joondeph, MD
  • An ophthalmologist analyzes Joe Biden’s red eye

    Brian C. Joondeph, MD
  • When medical science becomes fake news

    Brian C. Joondeph, MD

More in Policy

  • How fragmented records and poor tracking degrade patient outcomes

    Michael R. McGuire
  • U.S. health care leadership must prepare for policy-driven change

    Lee Scheinbart, MD
  • How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

    Brian Sutter
  • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

    Ilan Shapiro, MD
  • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    BJ Ferguson
  • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

    Carlin Lockwood
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

      Noah Weinberg | Conditions
    • A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How fragmented records and poor tracking degrade patient outcomes

      Michael R. McGuire | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How I learned to stop worrying and love AI

      Rajeev Dutta | Education
    • Understanding depression beyond biology: the power of therapy and meaning

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Why compassion—not credentials—defines great doctors

      Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 13 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

      Noah Weinberg | Conditions
    • A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • How fragmented records and poor tracking degrade patient outcomes

      Michael R. McGuire | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • How I learned to stop worrying and love AI

      Rajeev Dutta | Education
    • Understanding depression beyond biology: the power of therapy and meaning

      Maire Daugharty, MD | Conditions
    • Why compassion—not credentials—defines great doctors

      Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Shinseki’s resignation: Rearranging Titanic deck chairs at the VA
13 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...