Records obtained by KARE 11 in Minneapolis show a local Veterans Affairs hospital rescheduled a patient’s appointment four days after his death in what his family says is an attempt to cover up a long delay in treatment.
Marine Corps Corporal Jordan Buisman, 24, died on Nov. 26, 2012, from a serious seizure disorder. He had tried the month before to schedule an appointment at the neurology clinic at a VA facility in St. Cloud, Minn., but was told the next available appointment would be Dec. 20.
KARE 11 reports:
Not only was Jordan Buisman forced to wait too long to see a doctor, his medical records seem to be an example of how the VA manipulated scheduling data to hide the truth about long delays for veterans needing care.
Remember, Buisman died on Monday, Nov. 26. The following Friday, Nov. 30, four days after his death, someone wrote in his official VA records that Buisman cancelled his neurology appointment scheduled in late December and requested another one.
The computer record reads, "Veteran cancelled MSP Neuro." It adds, "pt req apt for fu." The scheduler entered Jan. 17, 2013, as the tentative follow-up date.
Since VA schedulers are supposed to enter changes immediately, Jordan's mother questions how her son could have cancelled his appointment, and asked to reschedule it, from the grave.
"Heads need to roll and butts need to be fired!" she said.