United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Human Resources Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1993-10-15 monographic deposited born digital GA 1.13:HRD-94-4 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HRD-94-4 P0b002ee18039a05b f:hd94004 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-HRD-94-4 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-HRD-94-4 HRD-94-4 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 Chapter Report HRD 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). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-HRD-94-4/html/GAOREPORTS-HRD-94-4.htm GAO/HRD-94-4 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-HRD-94-4 Chapter Report GAO/HRD-94-4; VA Health Care: Restructuring Ambulatory Care System Would Improve Services to Veterans; 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