Veterans Health Administration Using Private Sector Referrals To Reduce Appointment Wait Times For 100,000+ Veterans

On July 17, 2014, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that since late May 2014, after an audit of wait times at the Phoenix Health Care System (HCS) revealed serious scheduling and access problems at that system and others, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has increased its use of private sector referrals by 16% compared to the previous period of May through July 2013. This resulted in more than 160,000 veterans nationwide being moved from wait lists and into clinics. The VHA made over 543,000 referrals between May and June for veterans to receive care in the . . .