VA Has Made Little Progress In Reducing Wait Times
The Associated Press reports that since the summer, the number of vets waiting more than 30 or 60 days for non-emergency care has basically remained steady, and the number of medical appointments that take longer than 90 days to complete has nearly doubled.
The Associated Press:
VA Makes Little Headway In Fight To Shorten Waits For Care
A year after Americans recoiled at new revelations that sick veterans were getting sicker while languishing on waiting lists — and months after the Department of Veterans Affairs instituted major reforms costing billions of dollars — government data shows that the number of patients facing long waits at VA facilities has not dropped at all. No one expected that the VA mess could be fixed overnight. But The Associated Press has found that since the summer, the number of vets waiting more than 30 or 60 days for non-emergency care has largely stayed flat. The number of medical appointments that take longer than 90 days to complete has nearly doubled. (Caruso, 4/9)
The Baltimore Sun:
Glen Burnie VA Clinic Has Highest Delays In Maryland
As medical care for veterans continues to raise concerns across the country, new data show that thousands of former service members still face significant delays when they seek treatment at Veterans Affairs medical centers in Maryland. The longest delays among Maryland's VA centers were at the Glen Burnie VA Outpatient Clinic, where nearly 8 percent of appointments were not scheduled within 30 days, the goal set by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to data for the six-month period ending Feb. 28. The center's so-called failure rate topped the statewide rate of 2.9 percent and the national rate of 2.8 percent. (Puente and Donovan, 4/9)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Atlanta VA Still Ranks Low On Wait Times
The Atlanta VA Medical Center ranks near the bottom nationally in providing timely appointments to vets needing care and has made little progress toward fixing the problem. (Schneider, 4/9)
Miami Herald:
Miami VA Reports Fewer Patient Delays Than Florida, Nation
In the eight months since Congress passed a law pumping billions of dollars into a Veterans Affairs healthcare system plagued by long patient delays and controversy, Miami veterans are seeing improvements in their wait times to see a doctor. According to VA data released last week, about 98.6 percent
of appointments completed in Miami’s VA Healthcare system during February — the most recent month for which data is available — were scheduled within 30 days of the patient’s preferred date to see a doctor. (Herrera, 4/9)
In related news, Jeb Bush offers his thoughts on the veterans' health system -
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire:
Jeb Bush Calls For Privatizing Elements Of Veterans Health Care
While Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) was formally launching his 2016 presidential campaign Tuesday, still-not-a-candidate Jeb Bush was in Colorado, where he called for privatizing some parts of veterans’ health care. Mr. Bush, sitting in front of an untouched breakfast at an IHOP in Colorado Springs, told a group of veterans that he favors transferring some elements of veterans’ care to private hospitals from government-run Veterans Affairs facilities. (Epstein, 4/8)
