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Cedar Rapids Today

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

VA Iowa City HCS facilities schedule 43,783 medical appointments in November 2020

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The VA Iowa City Health Care System Iowa scheduled 43,783 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 38,184 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.21%) and 5,599 appointments (12.79%) 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 Iowa City Health Care System Pending Appointments Scheduled in November
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Iowa City, IA17,53613,8003,736
Quad Cities, IA7,3276,929398
Quincy, IL2,3592,29465
Waterloo, IA2,0341,864170
Galesburg, IL (Lane A. Evans)1,6231,511112
Dubuque, IA1,8801,592288
Cedar Rapids, IA2,4762,329147
Ottumwa, IA2,0652,02639
Sterling, IL75371538
Decorah, IA71363479
Coralville, IA2,6102,53971
Linn County, IA15150
Iowa City, IA - Mobile703040
Davenport, IA2182171
Iowa City South Clinton Street, IA2,1041,689415

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