No regrets over choosing va | va coatesville health care | veterans affairs

A Veteran's initial frustration turns into a great experience. Standing in the lobby waiting to speak to a supervisor after being told his appointment was cancelled, a retired U.S. Army

Veteran was starting to regret his choice to switch his primary care from the private sector to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Keith Dotts, a business owner, cleared his calendar

and took time off work to drive up to the Coatesville VA Medical Center (VAMC) for his initial consultation appointment with his new primary care team and now they weren’t going to see him.

He had come to the VA because he was dissatisfied with his private sector doctor who hadn’t taken the time to get to know him. Now, standing there frustrated, this 26-year Veteran who served

through nine conflicts as officer and enlisted thought, “this is a complete waste my of time” and he was already regretting his choice to give VA health care a chance.  THIS CAN GO ON OF

TWO WAYS  Dotts’ initial VA experience did not start off well but his emerging regret over choosing VA wouldn’t last long.  The nurse manager came out, listened as Dotts explained his

frustration, and once they had a good understanding of what had happened, asked him to wait there while they would see what they could do.  It took some time, but Dotts who has multiple

service-connected health conditions was invited back to a room where he was seen by his newly assigned primary care physician, Dr. Arun Sirohi. Sirohi has worked for the VA for 33 years. 

YOUR MEDICAL HISTORY MATTERS “He went through my entire history, really checked me from head to toe.”  Dotts said, Dr. Sirohi spent over 2 hours thoroughly reviewing his records and asking

questions during his initial consultation.  “It makes sense for any provider to take a proper history, go through their background. That’s what I’ve always done.” WHAT EVERY VETERAN WANTS 

Sirohi explained why the initial consultation appointment was so involved.  “Anybody who comes here wants to be treated the same way. We have very complex patients. I rarely see anyone who

has just one or two issues. They are not here to just be handed a prescription; they want to be treated for the real cause of their situation.”  At the end of the appointment, Sirohi

scheduled Dotts for labs and bloodwork along with a follow up appointment to go over the results.  ANY REGRETS OVER CHOOSING VA?  “…by the end of the meeting, I'm like: Doc ─ Thank you.

This has been a great experience. I'll see you in 30 days.” Looking back at his experiences at Coatesville VAMC so far, Dotts has no regrets over choosing VA health care. “I've

not had a bad visit with him since, and I've seen him four times.” If you are a Veteran or know a Veterans who has not yet applied for their VA health care benefits, or it’s been a

while since you have applied, apply for VA Health care now through Coatesville VAMC.