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Maui Reporter

Thursday, November 21, 2024

VA Pacific Islands HCS facilities schedule 44,469 medical appointments in October 2019

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The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System Hawaii scheduled 44,469 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 40,003 had a wait time of 30 days or less (89.96%) and 4,466 appointments (10.04%) 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.

VA Pacific Islands Health Care System Pending Appointments Scheduled in October
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Honolulu, HI (Spark M. Matsunaga)26,63023,3443,286
Maui, HI2,9842,712272
Hilo, HI3,7263,477249
Kailua-Kona, HI1,5881,430158
Lihue, HI2,2072,083124
Guam, GU3,1132,975138
American Samoa, AS (Faleomavaega Eni Faauaa Hunkin)1,023884139
Leeward Oahu, HI3,0462,95690
Saipan, MP74677
Molokai, HI78753

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