VA Health Care: Restructuring Ambulatory Care System Would Improve
Services to Veterans (Chapter Report, 10/15/93, GAO/HRD-94-4).

Veterans are experiencing lengthy delays when receiving medical care at
the approximately 200 outpatient facilities run by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).  Veterans often wait up to 3 hours before being
examined by a doctor in VA's emergency/screening clinics.  In addition,
veterans wait an average of 8 to 9 weeks for an appointment in specialty
clinics, such as those for cardiology or orthopedics.  Inefficient
operating procedures are the main cause of these delays.  President
Clinton has called for VA to compete with other providers in meeting the
health care needs of veterans.  To be a viable competitor, VA needs to
quickly restructure its outpatient care delivery system to provide more
timely ambulatory services.  The establishment of telephone assistance
networks and appointment scheduling systems, for example, would help in
the case of veterans with nonurgent conditions.  GAO summarized this
report in testimony before Congress; see: Veterans Affairs: Service
Delays at VA Outpatient Facilities, by David P. Baine, Director of
Federal Health Care Delivery Issues, before the Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations, House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
GAO/T-HRD-94-5, Oct. 27, 1993 (eight pages).

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  HRD-94-4
     TITLE:  VA Health Care: Restructuring Ambulatory Care System Would 
             Improve Services to Veterans
      DATE:  10/15/93
   SUBJECT:  Veterans hospitals
             Emergency medical services
             Health services administration
             Hospital care services
             Medical examinations
             Health resources utilization
             Health care planning
             Health centers
             Veterans benefits
             Internal controls

             
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