Hot Springs Times

The VA Central Arkansas Health Care System, subsidiary 598GC in Hot Springs, Arkansas scheduled 7,188 pending appointments in October compared to 5,208 during the same period last year, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments this October, 7,017 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.6%) and 171 appointments (2.4%) 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 or better to 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 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 who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA Central Arkansas Health Care System - 598GC Appointments Scheduled in October 2019 vs. October 2018

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled in October 2019	Total Appointments Scheduled in October 2018	Percent change in number of appointments
598	Little Rock	41,938	39,220	6.9%
598A0	North Little Rock	46,179	44,299	4.2%
598GA	Mountain Home	4,561	4,096	11.4%
598GB	El Dorado	2,542	2,514	1.1%
598GC	Hot Springs	7,188	5,208	38%
598GD	Mena	1,645	1,388	18.5%
598GE	Pine Bluff	3,405	3,360	1.3%
598GF	Searcy	3,629	3,935	-7.8%
598GG	Conway	6,863	6,237	10%
598GH	Russellville	2,509	2,471	1.5%

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration