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Sarasota Review

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

VA reports increase in number of February appointments scheduled at VA Bay Pines HCS health facility in Sarasota

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The VA Bay Pines Health Care System, subsidiary 516GA in Sarasota, Florida scheduled 11,135 pending appointments in February compared to 10,862 during the same period last year, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments this February, 10,744 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.5%) and 391 appointments (3.5%) 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 or better to 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 1 of 8 priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA Bay Pines Health Care System - 516GA Appointments Scheduled in February 2020 vs. February 2019

Facility Code
Location
Total Appointments Scheduled in February 2020
Total Appointments Scheduled in February 2019
Percent change in number of appointments
516
Bay Pines
94,457
93,301
1.2%
516BZ
Cape Coral
50,988
49,630
2.7%
516GA
Sarasota
11,135
10,862
2.5%
516GB
St. Petersburg
2,750
2,687
2.3%
516GC
Palm Harbor
7,507
7,191
4.4%
516GD
Bradenton
15,690
14,807
6%
516GE
Port Charlotte
10,365
10,808
-4.1%
516GF
Naples
8,013
7,780
3%
516GH
Sebring
4,855
4,688
3.6%
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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