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Friday, December 27, 2024

VA reports increase in number of January appointments scheduled at Portland VAMC health facility in Warrenton

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The Portland VA Medical Center, subsidiary 648GD in Warrenton, Oregon scheduled 325 pending appointments in January compared to 320 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, 323 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.4%) and two appointments (0.6%) 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.

Portland VA Medical Center - 648GD 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
648
Portland
50,987
53,106
-4%
648BU
Vancouver
25
29
-13.8%
648GA
Bend
6,170
4,853
27.1%
648GB
Salem
8,673
7,973
8.8%
648GD
Warrenton
325
320
1.6%
648GE
Fairview
3,241
3,291
-1.5%
648GF
Hillsboro
4,483
3,950
13.5%
648GG
West Linn
2,840
2,607
8.9%
648GH
Newport
296
168
76.2%
648GI
Portland
246
303
-18.8%
648GJ
The Dalles
1,397
1,335
4.6%
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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