{"id":105898,"date":"2016-04-21T18:45:48","date_gmt":"2016-04-21T18:45:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2016\/04\/21\/va-secretary-confident-medical-wait-times-are-improving\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:26:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:26:56","slug":"va-secretary-confident-medical-wait-times-are-improving","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2016\/04\/21\/va-secretary-confident-medical-wait-times-are-improving\/","title":{"rendered":"VA secretary &#8216;confident&#8217; medical wait times are improving"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob\u00a0McDonald downplayed new concerns this week about wait times at VA hospitals, asserting that access to appointments and veterans&#8217; satisfaction with medical care options have increased dramatically in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019re trying to be veteran-centric, not appointment-time-centric. &#8230; <span class=\"rte rte-comment\">&#8220;&#8221;<\/span>I\u2019m confident we\u2019re moving in the right direction,&#8221; he said during an interview for C-SPAN&#8217;s &#8220;Newsmakers&#8221; recorded Thursday. &#8220;I know it\u2019s politically popular to drag us back to some of these other measures and some of these other things, but I\u2019ve spent a lot of time working on moving us forward.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/z6YaEYU8Y_E?feature=oembed\" width=\"480\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, the Government Accountability Office released a report stating that veterans face waits of several weeks for medical care, despite claims from VA officials that most patients see a doctor within a week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At issue are differences in how the two agencies calculate wait times. VA measures from the day schedulers returns a veteran&#8217;s call. GAO officials start counting the day a veteran contacts the department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Critics say that record-keeping difference is crucial to measuring how well officials have responded to the department&#8217;s 2014 wait time scandal, when evidence of lengthy appointment delays and administrative cover-ups eventually forced the resignation of VA leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonald was confirmed to his Cabinet-level post in the months that followed, and has repeatedly promised to bring a more customer-friendly approach to department operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said he has confidence in VA&#8217;s wait time data, and believes it shows significant progress in getting veterans care quickly. But he also said those metrics are only part of the conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;How does Cleveland Clinic measure wait times? Does it matter?&#8221; he said. &#8220;The important thing is to get the veteran in for care, and we&#8217;re getting more and more veterans in for care.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That has included adding more resources to veterans health care since the 2014 crisis, including 7 million more medical appointments, 1,400 new doctors and 2,300 new nurses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But critics say the continued wait time discrepancies undermine public faith in the department&#8217;s claim and ability to adapt.\u00a0House Veterans&#8217; Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said Tuesday that &#8220;a\u00a0true picture of wait times &#8230; can help us ensure an adequate allocation of the resources that we are asked to provide.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McDonald acknowledged that the department still has more to do to restore that trust, but also said he believes recent moves have helped VA officials move the process along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We&#8217;re all about satisfaction,&#8221; he said. &#8220;This wait time thing has kind of overtaken what should be the real measure for veterans.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The full interview with McDonald airs Sunday on C-SPAN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Reporter Patricia Kime contributed to this story.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at <\/em><em>lshane@militarytimes.com<\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robert McDonald downplayed new concerns this week about wait times at VA hospitals during a CSPAN appearance 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