Quantcast

South KC News

Sunday, November 24, 2024

Kansas City VAMC facilities schedule 64,966 medical appointments in May 2019

Istock 000004671195 medium

The Kansas City VA Medical Center Missouri scheduled 64,966 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 62,745 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.58%) and 2,221 appointments (3.42%) 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.

Kansas City VA Medical Center Pending Appointments Scheduled in May
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Kansas City, MO46,58944,6351,954
Warrensburg, MO3,3583,30751
Belton, MO1,4821,4775
Paola, KS76875315
Nevada, MO1,4631,4603
Cameron, MO1851832
Kansas City, MO - Mobile3803800
Excelsior Springs, MO86983237
Johnson County, KS1,2361,22511
Honor, MO7,8437,701142
IDES Whiteman AFB19190
Overland Park, KS7747731

ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS STORY

!RECEIVE ALERTS

The next time we write about any of these orgs, we’ll email you a link to the story. You may edit your settings or unsubscribe at any time.
Sign-up

DONATE

Help support the Metric Media Foundation's mission to restore community based news.
Donate

MORE NEWS