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Wednesday, December 25, 2024

VA Montana HCS facilities schedule 52,603 medical appointments in February 2020

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The VA Montana Health Care System Montana scheduled 52,603 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 49,085 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.31%) and 3,518 appointments (6.69%) 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 Montana Health Care System Pending Appointments Scheduled in February
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Fort Harrison, MT16,17214,5901,582
Miles City CLC, MT27926811
Anaconda, MT1,7251,69233
Great Falls, MT3,3173,171146
Missoula, MT (David J. Thatcher)7,1847,018166
Bozeman, MT1,8361,75581
Kalispell, MT5,6675,491176
Billings Majestic Lane, MT (Benjamin Charles Steele)7,3946,812582
Glasgow, MT1881844
Glendive, MT28124536
Cut Bank, MT2342304
Lewistown, MT57451262
Billings Spring Creek Lane, MT (Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow)4,3824,059323
Havre, MT (Merril Lundman)35732928
IDES Malmstrom AFB110
Hamilton, MT1,3321,29240
Plentywood, MT29254
Helena, MT1,6441,404240

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