VAOIG - Administrative Summary of Investigation Regarding Wait Times - Oregon

In August 2014, VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) initiated an investigation at the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) based on allegations the newly appointed facility director received from an employee that management had created lists of Veteran appointments with a greater than 30-day wait time. In this two year old report published today, OIG did not substantiate any of the allegations. 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and VAPORHCS take very seriously our mission to provide high quality, safe and compassionate care in a timely manner to the Veterans we serve. Since 2014, we have taken many steps to ensure better access to care, and that employees responsible for scheduling appointments receive appropriate training. 

VA is working to ensure that by the end of calendar year 2016, Veterans will be able to receive same day services in primary and mental health care at all medical centers. At VAPORHCS, same day access for urgent needs for primary care and mental health has been available to our Veterans since July. 

What this means is that if a Veteran is in need of care right away we will have that care addressed the same day. When a Veteran contacts us, depending on the urgency, we may be able to address the Veteran's health care need by providing a face-to-face visit, returning a phone call, arranging a telehealth appointment, secure messaging through MyHealtheVet, or scheduling a future appointment. We want to address all Veterans' health care needs when they walk into our doors that same day. 

VAPORHCS, along with other VHA facilities across the country, is providing required training on the July 15, 2016 Veterans Health Administration scheduling directive Outpatient Scheduling Processes and Procedures, to ensure all staff responsible for scheduling appointments are compliant with scheduling training, policies, and practices. 
In June 2014, VA began providing access-to-care information to Veterans and the public on a public website, knowing that transparency and accountability would help improve care for Veterans over time. According to the most current completed appointment wait time data available, VAPORHCS primary care completed appointment wait times for September 2016 were 7.4 days; specialty care wait times were approximately 11.29 days; and mental health were 0.9 days. 

VAPORHCS appreciates the work of the OIG and the opportunity to ensure that our Veterans are receiving the highest quality care they have earned and deserve.