Why GAO Did This Study
“The majority of veterans utilizing VA health care services receive care in VA-operated medical facilities, including 172 VA medical centers and more than 1,000 outpatient facilities. For nearly 20 years, GAO has reported on the challenges VA medical facilities have faced providing health care services in a timely manner. When veterans face wait times at VA medical facilities, they may be able to receive services from VA’s community care programs, which VA estimates will be 19 percent of its $86.5 billion in health care obligations in fiscal year 2020.”
“This testimony focuses on GAO’s large body of work on veterans’ access to care and the status of VA’s efforts to address GAO’s recommendations, including those from GAO’s June 2018 report on VA’s community care programs and from GAO’s December 2012 report on VA’s scheduling of timely medical appointments that VA has provided information on through July 2019. It also includes preliminary observations on related ongoing work.”
What GAO Found
“… GAO found in 2012 that outpatient appointment wait times reported by VA were unreliable because VA did not ensure consistency in schedulers’ definitions of the dates by which wait times were measured. GAO recommended that VA clarify these definitions. VA concurred and has taken a number of actions in response, including improved oversight through scheduling audits. However, VA’s first internal audit in August 2018 was unable to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of its wait-time data due to the lack of business rules for calculating them, indicating that additional efforts are needed to address this issue.”
“GAO also found in 2012 that not all facilities GAO visited used the electronic wait list to track new patients that needed medical appointments, as required by VA’s scheduling policy. This put patients at risk for being lost for appointment scheduling. GAO recommended VA ensure consistent implementation of its policy, and that all schedulers complete required training. VA concurred, and with the information VA provided in July 2019 GAO considers VA’s actions, including updating its scheduling policy and completing scheduler training, sufficient to fully address the recommendation…”
What GAO Recommends
“GAO has made a number of recommendations to VA to address timely scheduling and reliable wait-time data for outpatient appointments and through community care. VA generally agreed with GAO’s recommendations. As of July 2019, VA has taken actions to fully implement one recommendation discussed in this statement. GAO continues to believe that all of the recommendations are warranted.” Access the full 28-page report here.
Source: Veterans Health Care: Opportunities Remain to Improve Appointment Scheduling within VA and through Community Care – July 24, 2019. GAO.
