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Carbondale Reporter

Friday, November 22, 2024

Marion VAMC facilities schedule 58,111 medical appointments in March 2020

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The Marion VA Medical Center Illinois scheduled 58,111 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 56,607 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.41%) and 1,504 appointments (2.59%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

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

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 cautioning 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.

Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to one of eight priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Marion VA Medical Center Pending Appointments Scheduled in March
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Marion, IL16,16515,719446
Marion MH-RRTP1791772
Evansville, IN22,18621,248938
Mount Vernon, IL2,8042,8031
Paducah, KY3,8333,80924
Effingham, IL1,4751,46510
Hanson, KY9929920
Owensboro, KY2,5812,52358
Vincennes, IN1,1421,1420
Mayfield, KY2,2802,26614
Carbondale, IL2,4952,4941
Harrisburg, IL9179116
Heartland Street, IL1,0621,0584

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