My VA doctor dropped me. New doctor quit and no one was going to follow up with me.

So, I wanted to have to great comprehensive progress to share with you guys. I was scheduled to have a 2 month follow-up with my VA primary care. To continue to transfer from East coast doctors to my West coast ones and establish long term recovery plans. However, that did not happen. My primary care doctor requested to transfer me as a patient. Either him or the higher ups facilitated that movement. Inconvenient, but I can understand. This had happened after the 2-month appointment was set.

I was notified by mail of this and informed of transfer to another Physician by mail as well. I was under the impression that the appointment set by the 1^st doctor still stood and would be taken up by the new one. No one informed me this appointment was cancelled or what the next step would be. As you all know, being post op has had its challenges daily and especially in energy. I assumed, naively at this point, that I was going to be taken care of and didn’t need to double check the bureaucratic changes that seemed, by virtue of mail communications taken care of, while I struggled each day with various changes with my body… but what left me disappointed was what happened when I showed up for the appointment that was cancelled and I had no notification for it, and the implications of it.

I went to check in at the lobby computers, you scan your id and slam your fingers on the screen to confirm your identity to check in. The computer normally checks you in and tells you where to go. But yesterday it just told me I didn’t have any appointments today. Thinking I know what the mix up is (the transfer of care) so I went up to the ladies at the front desk to try and clear this up. I was informed that I didn’t have an appointment. Confused, I asked why and a few other questions and the answers where just as confused as I was. She asked why I need to be seen, which I thought was strange being she just looked at all my past information and I told her I’m 2 months post op and just need to be seen.

I then just ask if we can schedule a new appointment with my new doctor to just push the 2 months check up a little further. I did have a lot of questions and needed guidance for physical therapy, pain management and long-term plans. She said no because that doctor is quitting. She asked me what id like to do and I was just as lost as her. So I am awaiting the VA to straighten this out. I no longer have a primary care doctor after surgery, I would have never been informed that the appointment was cancelled or that my new doctor, that hasn’t been established with me, is quitting. If it was someone else, they would have fallen through the cracks right there. I literally just disappeared in the eyes of the VA system. But why am I surprised.