{"id":7548,"date":"2024-05-24T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7548"},"modified":"2024-05-24T15:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T15:30:00","slug":"va-improves-access-to-care-reduces-wait-times-for-new-patient-appointments-in-primary-and-mental-health-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7548","title":{"rendered":"VA improves access to care, reduces wait times for new patient appointments in primary and mental health care"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2024-05-24T15:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON<\/strong> \u2014 Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced improved wait times for new patient appointments in primary care and mental health care across the VA health care system.<\/p>\n

For new patients in April 2024, there was an 11% decrease in average wait times for VA primary care and a 7% decrease in average mental health wait times compared to same time last year. These improved wait times come at a time when VA is delivering more care to more Veterans than ever before. Compared to the same time period last year (which was a record-breaking year<\/a> for appointments), VA completed 11% more new patient appointments \u2013 including nearly 13% more new patient mental health appointments.<\/p>\n

VA and the entire Biden-Harris administration are committed to providing all Veterans with the timely, world-class care they deserve. Veteran trust in VA outpatient care is currently at 91.8% \u2013 an all-time high<\/a> \u2013 and more than 400,000 Veterans<\/a> have enrolled in VA care over the past year, which is a 30% increase over last year. Additionally, VA has recently outperformed non-VA care in\u00a0peer reviewed studies<\/a>,\u00a0hospital ratings<\/a>, and\u00a0patient satisfaction surveys<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever a Veteran chooses VA for their care, we want them to know that we are going to take care of them \u2013 and we\u2019re going to get them in for an appointment as quickly as possible,\u201d said\u00a0VA Secretary Denis McDonough.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cThat\u2019s the standard to which we hold ourselves, and we\u2019ll never settle for anything less.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re reducing wait times for patients, even at a time when we\u2019re delivering more care to more Veterans than ever before,\u201d said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D.<\/strong> \u201cVA is the only national health care institution in America that publishes its wait times<\/a>, and we do so to ensure we are fully transparent with Veterans and earn their trust. A shorter wait time for care makes a difference in a Veteran\u2019s life, and we will continue to build on the progress we\u2019ve made to reduce wait times even further.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

These reduced wait times show continued improvement after VA\u2019s recent Access Sprints<\/a> \u2013 a nationwide effort to offer more night clinics, weekend clinics, and appointment slots in daily clinic schedules. Additional results from the access sprints include (all data from October 2023 to February 2024):<\/p>\n