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Thursday, November 7, 2024

Syracuse VAMC facility scheduled 34,524 medical appointments in September 2020

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The Syracuse VA Medical Center, subsidiary 528A7 in Syracuse, New York, scheduled 34,524 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 31,086 had a wait time of 30 days or less (90%) and 3,438 appointments (10%) 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 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 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.

The VA explains on its website that 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 do not have service-connected disabilities and earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Syracuse VA Medical Center Appointments Scheduled in September
Facility CodeLocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
528A7Syracuse34,52431,0863,438
528GMRome7,8947,244650
528GNBinghamton5,5755,190385
528GOWatertown4,8164,78828
528QGErie West2,9042,687217
528QNWatertown2,8822,732150
528GLMassena2,3872,33057
528GPOswego2,1632,14419
528G9Freeville1,7351,71223
528G5Auburn1,6491,537112
528QIErie East1,3321,143189
528QHSouth Salina64640
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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