Help Save Dr Cecil's Veterans Clinic

UPDATE: There will be no WALL for these silent deaths.

Veterans with HCV

I treat patients at the Louisville VAMC every Friday. This is where I started treating HCV in May 1998, and I have a special bond to my many patients there. We are fighting this epidemic together. I am a strong advocate for all HCV infected veterans. If you have HCV and want antiviral therapy, the VA should try to cure you. Now, too many doctors tell veterans "you are not a candidate". Patients with a history of alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, heart disease are too often denied a chance for cure even if they have life threatening cirrhosis. You were a candidate to fight for our freedom, and you are candidate to try to be cured of HCV. Fight for you rights, like you fought for you country. I will help you if I can.

HCVets.com is a website where others can help you too. The VA wants money for HCV veterans but does not want to spend the money to treat them. GAO report about VA HCV The VA must do a better job. 5,611 veterans started treatment between October 2003 and September 2004. Pharmacy records indicated that less than 5% persisted on treatment at week 48 (AASLD Abstract1196 Hepatology, Vol. 42 No 4 Suppl. 1 2005). 2003 GAO report states VA must do more.

The Louisville VAMC closed my clinic to new patients in Oct 2001, because I broke their pharmacy budget. I treated 298 HCV infected veterans between May 1998 and October 2001. The VA launched a federal  investigation against me. They thought that I must be making money off my VA clinic or I would not still be working at the VA. They found that I was actually losing money by sending veterans from my private practice to the VA for less expensive treatment. My HCV clinic at the Louisville VAMC is so small now that it only takes four hours per week to see the patients. If you are a veteran with HCV, I would like to treat you at my clinic at the Louisville VAMC. I am there every Friday morning. If I get enough patients, I can expand back to 8AM to 6PM every Friday. I get email from veterans all over the US with HCV who are refused treatment by their local VAMC. Why can't they come and see me in Louisville for treatment?

Seven percent of veterans are infected with HCV and 10% of Vietnam era veterans are infected (10% of 8.5 million Vietnam era veterans = 850,000). The VA plans on solving this problem in the year 2025 when  most of the Vietnam era veterans are dead. More veterans will die from HCV induced liver failure or liver cancer than died fighting in Vietnam. There will be no WALL for these silent deaths. I have patients whose  only risk factor for HCV is serving in our military. We owe these men and women every chance to cure their HCV.

The VA continues to deny it, but air gun vaccinations do spread hepatitis. The CDC documented an outbreak of viral hepatitis B at a weight loss clinic caused by using an air gun to inject medication. HCV can be spread the same way.

Some of the military enlistees in line getting vaccinations were already infected with HCV. This has been proven by Dr Seeff from the NIH and is published.1.8% of African American and 0.1% of white military recruits were infected with HCV Using the same air gun on everyone is like using the same dirty needle. Whenever the same vial of medication is used for several patients, hepatitis can be spread. This has been documented in hemodialysis units. Unsafe vaccines have been documented with reuse of syringes. Millions of Egyptians were infected by unsafe vaccinations. How many persons were infected by using the same razor at the military barber shop? It is a shameful fact that the VA continues to deny service connection for American  military veterans whose only risk factor for HCV is being in the military. The VA denied service connection to one veteran shot in the chest in Vietnam in 1968 and transfused. He died from HCV liver cancer in 2003.

Another patient was hospitalized with hepatitis during military service and the VA claims his HCV is not service connected. Congress should hold the VA's feet to the fire and demand reform. The VA should have a Board of Directors-all veterans and elected by veterans. This board should control the VA and tell the bureaucrats what to do. The VA managers should be controlled by the veterans, not the other way around.

You can get information and help from .

Help Save Dr. Cecil's Clinic and the Lives of
Hepatitis C Patients at Louisville VAMC!

May, 2002

In 1997, Dr. Cecil joined the staff of Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Louisville Kentucky . At that time the VA hospital did not treat any Hepatitis C positive veterans. Dr. Cecil changed that by focusing his practice on infected patients. As a result of customized treatment régimes, Louisville VAMC now has the highest number of patients receiving treatment within the VA system.

In the process, Dr. Cecil became a great advocate for HCV infected veterans and military personnel. He opened his heart, and a website, for people to contact him directly with questions or concerns. He answered all his mail personally.

The website has become a pillar of information for the medical profession in general. Dr. Cecil's understanding of hepatitis c and the treatment process plus, his compassion and caring nature, has produced success rates that surpasses all VAMC clinics. Many professionals in the medical community turn to him for guidance.

One would think the Veterans Administration would consider modeling it's facilities after the Dr. Cecil's clinic. Instead, he is no longer allowed to treat his former HCV patients and all new patients will be treated by the University of Louisville. The reason, Dr. Cecil was told he is too busy for any more patients. Dr. Cecil disputes that excuse and feels the reason is that he spends money to treat his patients. Money the VA does not want to spend.

On many occasions Dr. Cecil has issued a prescription for his patients only to have it put in a drawer by the pharmacy. When Dr. Cecil asked why they won't fill it, the pharmacy stated they did not have the money to purchase the drugs.

The Veterans Administration allocates up to $40,000 for treatment of each HCV patient. But the money is not allocated to the clinics for treatment. The money goes to 22 Directors of the Veterans Integrated Services Networks (VISNs) The money is then distributed to area VAMCs.

VISN's have been under fire for some time now. According to the General Accounting Office report released on April 25, 2000, the VA spent only one-fifth of the budgeted amount on treatment for HCV patients. The testimony in oversight suggest money earmarked for HCV is being used to save a failing health care system. The sad part is no one really knows the actual number of patients, past or present, that were treated, including the Director of the HCV program for Veterans, Dr. Deyton.

The lack of treatment for infected patients is also the focus of study published in the Am Journal of Gastroenterology, Jan 2002. The study clearly shows the restrictions placed on VA outpatient HCV treatment programs and suggests that impact of treatment is small. Veterans had a 1.4% chance of clearing the virus while the national standards boosted a 42% clear rate.

Although the VA states a firm commitment to provide a treatment program to deliver the highest quality care to veterans with hepatitis C, it is obvious, this is not the case.

Since October, the Louisville VAMC has referred over 200 patients for outpatient treatment. Of that number, only three were given prescription to start treatment. Two patients with cirrhotic livers waited five months for an appointment only to be rescheduled two months later. Seven months without a physical exam.

VA clinics like Dr. Cecil's are held to strict guidelines and accountable if they overspend. In Dr. Cecil's case, politically punished. The VA wants money for HCV veterans but does not want to spend the money to treat them.

Dr. Cecil's battles to remain open are not new. He has challenged the VA and the way it manages the treatment of HCV patients. The Veterans Administration threatened him with closure last year, but granted a reprieve after Veterans and Patients rallied to stop it. Dr. Cecil was permitted to treat up to 300 patients.

Despite that promise, Dr. Cecil was told to close his doors to new and former patients at the most successful clinic in the VA system.

Despite that promise, the budget to treat these 300 veterans was not allocated.

Despite that promise, Dr. Cecil was punished for prescribing treatment for too many veterans.

This is NOT the highest quality of care for veterans. We want an explanation!

Dr. Cecil's commitment to veterans turned around Louisville Vets survival rates. Please stand up and help us stop the political maneuver to "phase out " Dr. Cecil because he treats his patients. The money has been allocated and we want it spent on hepatitis C patients.

Study- A comparison of hepatitis C treatment and outcomes at academic, private and Veterans' Affairs treatment centers states veterans attending VAMC clinics (click on link)
Results: Differences in treatment practice and use of diagnostic procedures were found. Genotype testing was under-utilized in non-academic sites (academic centres, 79.2%; private centres, 33.7%; Veterans' Affairs centres, 35.9%; P < 0.001). Liver biopsies were performed less often in private sites (academic centres, 95.8%; private centres, 80.0%; Veterans' Affairs centres, 92.2%; P < 0.01). End-of-treatment viral response (academic centres, 40.0%; private centres, 31.3%; Veterans' Affairs centres, 17.2%; P < 0.05) was lower than that found in published trial data. Multivariate analysis revealed genotype 1 as the single significant predictor of treatment failure (P < 0.01).

Message from Dr. Cecil HCVets.Com Forum #3185.1

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Update 7/06 Hep C Doctor Ben Cecil files formal complaint to VA inspector general

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