Dive Brief:
- Robert McDonald, Department of Veterans Affairs secretary, said despite hiring more staff, veterans' wait time for medical care continues to grow.
- Although the VA completed 3.1 million more appointments in the past fiscal year versus the previous one, the number of appointments not completed in 30 days increased from 300,000 to 500,000.
- McDonald said more veterans are going to the VA versus other facilities because it is more convenient, effective and cheaper, as reported in Yahoo News. "Access to care has improved, but here's the inevitability: Improved access means more demand," McDonald explained.
Dive Insight:
McDonald said the VA plans to hold a nation-wide event at all its hospitals on Nov. 14, so teams of clinical leaders, administrators, and volunteers can contact veterans with acute needs to ensure their healthcare needs are being addressed.
A VA scandal broke last year, which cost the public $16 billion, with several senior employees, resulting in former VA Secretary, Eric Shinseki and Allison Hickey, former Under Secretary for Benefits, resigning. Healthcare Dive reported last month about a CNN investigation which found evidence wait times were significantly increasing and the VA had publicly confirmed a change in its wait-time calculations. The VA calculates wait times by measuring the time the date a patient prefers to be seen and the date the appointment is completed.