Wilmington VA Medical Center

Kiesha Rice

I am speaking on behalf of a veteran who silently suffers because of the "I don't believe you" culture that is heavily embedded within the VA medical system. Overall, my experiences have been pleasant with Wilmington, VA, until today when I received a phone call from pain management. My experience with pain management under Dr. Hersh Patel has been deeply disappointing. During our interaction, he was very judgmental. He suggested that my reasoning for the appointment was solely about obtaining a disability rating, making it clear that he wanted nothing to do with that. This was ironic, as I never mentioned a disability rating; I only responded to his questions about the pain issues I am experiencing and when it all began. He questioned why my primary doctor referred me to him "so quickly," which felt highly inappropriate. He called me one and a half hours before my scheduled appointment to ask, "Is this a good time?" Which was also unusual. I guess the rules don't apply to him, and he does things however he wants. When my wife attempted to address his rude tone and unprofessional behavior, he deflected and began to speak on veterans and their disability ratings. Again, this is confusing because I still hadn't mentioned a VA disability rating. When I asked him to provide contact information for a supervisor, he gave a name but refused to give a phone number or email address. To make matters worse, he later called back to check if things had "calmed down", repeatedly implying that we had "misinterpreted" his comments instead of offering a sincere apology for his assumptions and accusations. He even claimed he was the only pain management provider at the facility. However, an hour later, he called again to ask if I wanted to be seen by a pain specialist nurse after discussing the matter with his chief of staff. I suspect his side of the story was the only one shared, and no one else reached out to me, so I no longer trust this office to treat me objectively. I sincerely hope he has never caused harm to another veteran by being judgemental and dismissive. Passing judgment, speaking in such a degrading manner, and addressing anything other than managing my pain is unacceptable. Veterans deserve much better treatment, and I deserve a sincere apology!