Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Employees Directed To Falsify Wait Times In At Least 7 States
USA Today: VA Bosses In 7 States Falsified Vets' Wait Times For Care
Supervisors instructed employees to falsify patient wait times at Veterans Affairs' medical facilities in at least seven states, according to a USA TODAY analysis of more than 70 investigation reports released in recent weeks. Overall, those reports — released after multiple inquiries and a Freedom of Information Act request — reveal for the first time specifics of widespread scheduling manipulation. (Slack, 4/7)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Manchester VA Medical Director Issues Apology
The director of the Manchester VA Medical Center apologized Thursday to veterans for scheduling issues at the facility included in a report released last week by the Veterans Affairs Inspector General. According to the report, staff at the Manchester VA manipulated appointment dates and refused to schedule referrals beyond 14 days in some specialty departments, in an effort to give the appearance that patients were being seen quickly by center staffers. (Feely, 4/7)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Manchester VA Director Apologies For Wait Time Record Manipulation
New reports from the Veterans Administration Office of Inspector General have revealed evidence of wait time record manipulation at the VA hospitals in Manchester, New Hampshire and White River Junction, Vermont. Multiple sources involved in scheduling veterans for appointments reported fudging numbers by offering veterans the first available appointment, rather than allowing the veteran to determine how soon they need to be seen. This allowed schedulers to show a wait time of "zero," when in fact veterans could have been waiting much longer to be seen. (Biello, 4/7)
