Veterans Affairs
Service Delays at VA Outpatient Facilities Gao ID: T-HRD-94-5 October 27, 1993Veterans are experiencing lengthy delays when receiving medical care at the approximately 200 outpatient facilities run by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Veterans often wait up to three hours before being examined by a doctor in VA's emergency/screening clinics. In addition, veterans wait an average of eight to nine weeks for an appointment in specialty clinics, such as those for cardiology or orthopedics. Inefficient operating procedures are the main cause of these delays. President Clinton has called for VA to compete with other providers in meeting the health care needs of veterans. To be a viable competitor, VA needs to quickly restructure its outpatient care delivery system to provide more timely ambulatory services. The establishment of telephone assistance networks and appointment scheduling systems, for example, would help in the case of veterans with nonurgent conditions.