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Thursday, November 21, 2024

Martinsburg VAMC facility in Harrisonburg scheduled 1,661 medical appointments in November 2020

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The Martinsburg VA Medical Center, subsidiary 613GF in Harrisonburg, Virginia, scheduled 1,661 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,644 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99%) and 17 appointments (1%) 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 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 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.

The VA explains on its website that 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 do not have service-connected disabilities and earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Martinsburg VA Medical Center Appointments Scheduled in November
Facility CodeLocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
613Martinsburg21,19719,2331,964
613GGFrederick3,5893,408181
613GBHagerstown3,2223,13884
613GCStephens City3,1933,10687
613GACumberland2,0361,797239
613GFHarrisonburg1,6611,64417
613GEPetersburg8017956
613GDFranklin1331330
613BUMartinsburg62602
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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