Richard L. Roudebush VAMC facilities schedule 80,185 medical appointments in August 2019

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The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis Indiana scheduled 80,185 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 75,377 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.0%) and 4,808 appointments (6.0%) 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.

Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis Pending Appointments Scheduled in August
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Indianapolis, IN (Richard L. Roudebush)65,01060,8674,143
Terre Haute, IN98397310
Bloomington, IN3,3873,3816
Martinsville, IN4954914
Indianapolis West, IN2,9572,673284
West Lafayette, IN1,2281,16167
Wakeman, IN2,0391,911128
Shelbyville, IN5715638
Monroe County, IN64061921
Indianapolis-Meridian Street, IN32320
Vigo County, IN659555104
Indianapolis YMCA, IN1,2751,24233
Cold Spring Road, IN9099090

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