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Wednesday, November 27, 2024

VA reports increase in number of appointments at VA Eastern Kansas HCS health facility in Platte City in August

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The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, subsidiary 589JE in Platte City, Missouri scheduled 894 pending appointments in August compared to 820 the previous month, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 880 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.4%) and 14 appointments (1.6%) 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 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 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 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.

VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August vs. July

Facility Code
Location
Total Appointments Scheduled in August
Total Appointments Scheduled in July
Percent change in number of appointments
589A5
Topeka, KS (Colmery- ONeil)
26,352
26,801
-1.7%
589A6
Leavenworth, KS (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
20,598
20,845
-1.2%
589BU
Leavenworth, KS - VADOM
276
109
153.2%
589GI
St. Joseph, MO
2,482
2,461
0.9%
589GJ
Wyandotte County, KS
1,065
1,027
3.7%
589GM
Chanute, KS
332
329
0.9%
589GP
Garnett, KS
176
171
2.9%
589GR
Junction City, KS (Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz- Based)
2,671
2,143
24.6%
589GU
Lawrence, KS
306
301
1.7%
589GV
Fort Scott, KS
937
958
-2.2%
589JE
Platte City, MO
894
820
9%

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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