Veterans’ Health Customer Service (Patient Advocates)

By Larry Dandridge

One of my duties as a volunteer Patient Adviser and a member of the Stake Holders’ Council at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center and Healthcare System (RHJVAMC&HCS) is to find problems that veterans have and help the veterans get to the right VA Office to get their problem solved.

My job is also to help the RHJVAMC&HCS to continuously improve and to get every veteran and every family member to:

Understand what their VA benefits are and apply for those benefits.
Use a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) to help them understand their benefits and claim those benefits.
If eligible, enroll in and take advantage of Veterans Healthcare.
Tell their doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, registered nurse, and social worker if they are dissatisfied with any VA healthcare service.
Fill out VA Health Surveys.
Submit suggestions for improvement in VA healthcare through surveys and the RHJVAMC&HCS Suggestion Card system.
Make complaints to the RHJVAMC&HCS Patient Advocate’s Office when they cannot get satisfaction through other avenues.

The Ralph H. Johnson VA is great but not perfect. I have to work hard to find a veteran who has a problem with our Lowcountry VA Medical System. However, I do occasionally get a call, email, or in-person contact telling me that the veteran is not happy with the service they got from one of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Medical Centers or CBOCs. When I do get such a call, email, or in-person complaint, I immediately tell them:

VA patients can 99% of the time quickly solve any problems concerning medical care at the VA through their Primary Care Team, Specialty Care Physician or Nurse, or Social Worker.
If a VA healthcare patient or family member cannot get a satisfactory solution to their problems from their VA Healthcare Team, they should contact the “Patient Advocate Team” at their local VA Medical Center.
The RHJVAMC&HCS webpage at https://bit.ly/3Ygr548 states, “The patient advocates at VA Charleston health care are specially trained to help veterans resolve issues with the care.”
The RHJVAMC&HCS Patient Advocate Team’s main phone number is 843-789-6066. The Former Prisoner of War Patient Advocate’s phone number is 843-789-7415.
Veterans can also contact the RHJVAMC&HCS Pateint Advocates Office through the VA’s National Inquiry Routing & Information System (IRIS or ASK VA) at https://ask.va.gov.

Veterans may complain verbally or in writing, without fear of retaliation. The VA promises to give veterans and their family members understandable information about the complaint process in their preferred language.

How to find a VA Medical Center or Other Facility

Veterans can find their nearest VA Medical Center at the VA’s facility locator at https://www.va.gov/find-locations/.

Complaints, suggestions, and compliments are gold mines to the VA. This columnist has encouraged the VA to “listen to the voices of their customers.” As a volunteer Patient Adviser at the VA, I know that the employees and leaders there look at every complaint as an opportunity to improve a process, find the root causes of problems, and develop countermeasures, thus preventing the same kind of problems in the future.

VA employees must respect the rights of patients and family members. If you would like more information about your rights as a patient, talk with your VA treatment team members or, if necessary, a Patient Advocate. Patient Rights and Responsibilities are posted in outpatient and inpatient areas. If you have not received a copy of your Rights and Responsibilities, contact the Patient Advocate or you may download a copy online at the following two sites:

Ralph H. Johnson VA Patient Advocates

According to the RHJVAHCS PATIENT ADVOCATE webpage at https://bit.ly/3Ygr548, the patient advocates at VA Charleston Healthcare offer help with patient concerns with the care team and they advocate for patients and family rights.

The following RHJVAHCS Patient Advocates are available:

Hannah P. McCoy, RHJVAHCS Patient Advocate Supervisor, VA Charleston Healthcare, 843-789-6066.
Traviell Hartsfield, Patient Advocate, 843-789-6066.
Traciee M. Prioleau, Patient Advocate, 843-789-6066.
Tiffany M. Hadaway, Patient Advocate, 843-789-6066.
Valeria Edwards, Patient Advocate, 843-789-6066.
Lakiesha Long, Patient Advocate, 843-789-6066.
Lorenzo Moses Chaplain, VA Charleston, Former Prisoner of War Patient Advocate, 843-789-7415. Non-former POWs should NOT call this number for Patient Advocate assistance.

The patient Advocate line 843-789-6066 is attended by all six advocates plus one assistant. There are times when all advocates are busy and customers can leave a message. Voicemails are pulled three times a day and customers will get a return call no later than the end of the next business day.

Patient Advocate Training

VA training is customer service oriented, teaches de-escalation skills, and skip-thinking (skipping over the negative reaction to criticism and focusing on getting the continuous improvement benefits in every complaint and suggestion).

Everyday Hero/Room for Improvement Card Program

The RHJVA Medical Center has suggestion boxes and preprinted cards for submitting suggestions, compliments, and complaints throughout the hospital. Those cards are collected weekly and scanned, and compliments are shared with staff and supervisors, while concerns and complaints are handled by the Patient Advocates.

Survey of healthcare experience of patients

After your visit, you may receive a confidential questionnaire in the mail asking you about your most recent treatment at your medical center. Please use the survey to let the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care Team know of any concerns, complaints, suggestions, or questions you have about your care so that they can resolve them.

Learn more at the VHA’s Patient Advocate web page at https://www.va.gov/HEALTH/patientadvocate/.

The bottom line

Every complaint, suggestion, compliment, and survey completed is the best way to help the VA improve. Help yourself, your family, other veterans, and the VA to continuously improve by completing all VA surveys and returning them quickly and by writing down your complaints and suggestions and submitting them through your healthcare team, surveys, and the Everyday Hero/Room for Improvement Cards.

Larry Dandridge is a Vietnam War wounded warrior, disabled veteran, ex-Enlisted Infantryman, ex-Warrant Officer Pilot, and retired Lt. Colonel. He is a past Veterans Service Officer, a Patient Adviser at the RHJ VA Hospital, the Fisher House Charleston Good Will Ambassador, and the VP for Veteran Affairs for the local Army Association Chapter. Larry is the author of the award-winning book Blades of Thunder and a contributing free-lance writer with the Island News. Contact him at LDandridge@earthlink.net or 843-276-7164.