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In National VA Audit, Orlando Ranks 7th with Number of New Patient Veterans Waiting 90 Days or More for Care  June 10, 2014 | WMFE, Orlando - The Department of Veterans Affairs released a report this week detailing a nationwide audit of its facilities. Auditors visited over 700 Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide, and found an overwhelming backlog of veterans waiting at least 90 days to be scheduled for care. Statewide, more than 8,500 new patients were on the electronic wait list and were unable to be scheduled within 90 days or less. 2,000 of those were in Orlando. Orlando VA spokesperson Heather Frebe says the hospital is implementing new procedures to ease the backlog of patients: “Our staff is contacting each patient and asking if they’d like to keep their current appointment at the VA, or if they’d like to be seen sooner," Frebe says. "If they choose to be seen sooner, before their scheduled VA appointment, then we arrange for care in the community.” Frebe also says she expects Orlando’s new VA facility will decrease wait times: “We’ll have additional room and additional space, so we’ll be able to expand care in terms of all different specialties and primary care, so that will increase our capacity to see more patients when we move to the new hospital.” Former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned from his post following the wait time scandal last month. VA centers in Gainesville, Lake City and Bay Pines, Florida were marked for further review. |
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