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VA reports increase in number of January appointments scheduled at VA Central Alabama HCS health facility in Dothan

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The VA Central Alabama Health Care System, subsidiary 619QA in Dothan, Alabama scheduled 4,541 pending appointments in January compared to 3,207 during the same period last year, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments this January, 4,326 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.3%) and 215 appointments (4.7%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019, reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar or better to wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA's data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA Central Alabama Health Care System - 619QA Appointments Scheduled in January 2020 vs. January 2019

Facility Code
Location
Total Appointments Scheduled in January 2020
Total Appointments Scheduled in January 2019
Percent change in number of appointments
619
Montgomery
11,124
11,717
-5.1%
619A4
Tuskegee
15,798
17,785
-11.2%
619GA
Columbus
9,639
8,364
15.2%
619GD
Fort Rucker
6,519
6,538
-0.3%
619GE
Monroeville
999
1,253
-20.3%
619GF
Montgomery
15,513
15,209
2%
619QA
Dothan
4,541
3,207
41.6%
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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