Washington DC VA Medical Center

"I've been getting medical care at the DC Medical Center for about 18 months, and it's a mixed bag. The pharmacy seems to work reasonably well, and primary care appointments scheduled online have worked. Specialty care appointments can be a mess: 1) calling through central scheduling often results in being number 40 inline (a 30-minute wait) and then sometimes drops before being answered, 2) calling the specialty clinic directly sometimes works, but more often the voice mailbox is full and the line drops, or I leave a message which never gets returned. Management follow-up often appears lacking. Fortunately, for me, Medicare has many more choices and less annoying problems, and I plan to do most of my future care through it."

"Multiple times I have called and stayed on the line for thirty minutes to an hour only to be hung up on after I reach number one. The departments you call never return messages. It takes an act of god to get through to your primary doctor. Miscommunication is a big issue here. I have not received the care that I need because my primary doctor is either confused or just doesn’t care. I swear you will either die or get worse coming to this VA location for care. I’m so tired of them."

"Tried calling in to set up an appointment and the operator was rude. But other than that been trying to set up a neurology appointment for over a year now. They keep saying they are calling me, but I have not received any calls. Other VA departments never have a problem calling. But, overall this VA facility and department is one of the worst health facilities I have ever experienced. I would recommend just never even trying because it's like a 1/100 chance you'll be seen or even hear from someone. (Exclusive to only neurology department) Need to hire some new people who care for others"

"Cavier Thomas in the VA travel office did a fabulous job helping me with the travel arrangement. She went above and beyond to ensure that I was reimbursed for traveling from Maryland to the Washington DC VA. She took the initiative to herself to one was responsible for signing off on the travel voucher. She solved the problem and followed up with me days later with a notification phone call. Pay Raise immediately!! I attended the emergency room on July 14, 2023. My experience dealing with the entire staff was nothing short of phenomenal. The emergency room staff to include the police officers, security, nurses, intake, and doctors were friendly, engaging, and informative of their procedures. Although the emergency room and urgent care was filled to capacity, the staff kept a positive attitude and continually informed the patients about what was happening with their care. Secondly, two pharmacists came to the emergency room on separate occasions to inform me personally about the status of my medication and how they could help me with my needs. It has been over 40 years since visiting the hospital with my Dad and the attitudes and work ethic is second to none. Kudos Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center."

"If I could give this hospital zero stars, I would. Can't get a reasonable appointment for ANY department. No one answers the line, no one knows the correct transfer number, and don't even think about showing up to the emergency room. By the time you get seen, the doctor you want/need to see will be gone. Trust me everyone is there to just collect a check including the nurses/doctors. Veterans listen to me and listen well, Google some information and call around to see if you qualify for community care coverage and get with a civilian doctor asap! These people DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU."