PJ Media
"After more than three years since Marine veteran Jason Simcakoski’s death, his father on Wednesday said that the pill-mill atmosphere that led to his son’s opioid overdose at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center has dissipated.
“ 'It was more like a dictatorship run when my son was there,” Marvin Simcakoski told Congress. “That atmosphere is gone by the wayside now. Now you can bring things up. … It’s definitely a much better and positive atmosphere there now.”
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. . . "Chief Officer for Specialty Care for the Veterans Health Administration Laurence Meyer said that every individual situation has to be tailored differently. Back pain differs significantly from chronic headaches, for instance, he said, while explaining that the agency is trying to find ways to expand options for yoga, tai chi, acupuncture and conventional physical therapy. There is also the issue that many veterans suffer from chronic pain, as well as mental health issues, which makes each patient’s needs more specific.
"Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) discussed her own “recreational” injury, for which she went through physical therapy. She warned Meyer against capping the amount of visits a patient might get for physical therapy, which is an issue she said she witnessed firsthand while in treatment.
"Meyer said that the VA is trying to find the proper balance between avoiding the bureaucratic nightmare of approving every single physical therapy visit and writing blank checks for treatment."
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