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Saturday, September 21, 2024

North Florida/South Georgia VA HCS facilities schedule 205,787 medical appointments in November 2020

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The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Florida scheduled 205,787 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 190,992 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.81%) and 14,795 appointments (7.19%) 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.

North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Pending Appointments Scheduled in November
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Gainesville, FL (Malcom Randall)49,77444,7774,997
Lake City, FL12,47711,2291,248
Jacksonville 1, FL31,99929,1742,825
Valdosta, GA4,3304,29535
Ocala, FL8,3028,174128
Saint Augustine, FL7,7847,580204
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)19,49717,7141,783
The Villages, FL24,07322,9761,097
St. Marys, GA2,7512,70249
Marianna, FL2,2962,25640
Palatka, FL2,6302,60921
Waycross, GA2,6852,64837
Perry, FL5445440
Gainesville 1-16th Street, FL47461
Gainesville 2-98th Street, FL1,087974113
Gainesville 3-64th Street (C), FL734627
Gainesville 4-64th Street (O), FL4,8604,508352
Gainesville 5-64th Street (D), FL3,8003,430370
Gainesville 6-23rd Avenue, FL15123
Jacksonville Southpoint, FL10,5219,827694
Ocala West, FL2,7142,70212
Jacksonville 2, FL7,1946,522672
Lake City Commerce Drive, FL4,1724,14923

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