John Irvine looks at media spin on both sides of the fence.

Maggie Mahar defends the VA (which I am well aware is a separate entity from Walter Reed), whose reputation is being damaged in this scandal.

Graham:
“And of the 5 hospitals I’ve rotated through, the VA has had the best security (translation: the most annoying passwords) of any place I’ve been. Is it perfect, not at all, but its rankings and quality and satisfaction scores don’t come from thin air.”

I’ve worked at, and rotated through, the VA as well. Their EHR is their trump card, but the waiting lists for PCPs and specialist referrals are significantly worse than the outside world.

Medpundit:
“It’s not clear how long ago Mr. Oliva and the others had to wear torn gowns and use broken wheelchairs. Was this in today’s VA or yesterday’s VA? Shouldn’t a distinguished paper like the Washington Post investigate those allegations before publishing them? Why, they’re acting like a blog!”

Mike Pechar:
“Even as the alleged deficiencies at Walter Reed hospital are being investigated, politicians and pundits are weighing in with their opinions and, from what I’ve heard, the primary complaints are mismanagement and lack of funds. Multiply everything being said and the investigative findings a thousand-fold and the result is — the chaos of a national health care system.”

Flashpoint:
“Lack of competition spawns problems like what we’re seeing at Walter Reed.”