VA Healthcare-VISN 4
Access - Facility Outcomes
Access - Facility Outcomes
At the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center in Altoona, the number of telemental health care encounters for 2016 increased 39% from 2015.
According to nationwide VA data, VA Butler Healthcare has the best primary care access in VA! VA Butler is ranked #1 for Veterans' perception of timeliness (both urgent and routine), as well as #1 in terms of Patient-Aligned Care Team (PACT) access measures. 99% of Veteran appointments there are completed in 30 days. For Veterans seeking new appointments, wait times for primary care are 1 day or less, for specialty care 3 days or less, and for mental health care 1 day or less.
Erie VA Medical Center expanded the Warren County VA Outpatient Clinic by nearly 2,000 square feet and renovated the existing 4,500 square feet. Between 2014 and 2016, the number of Veterans treated there increased nearly 7%, and the number of women Veterans treated there increased 8%. The renovation and expansion added a private women's health suite, a larger and more private waiting and reception area, and more exam rooms. The project also increased capacity for telehealth and specialty care services as well as handicapped parking.
The Lebanon VA Medical Center initiated a new Clinical Video Telehealth Suicide Prevention Clinic at the Berks County VA Outpatient Clinic. This clinic provides suicide risk assessments, transitional care, and routine follow-up care for Veterans along with preventative and routine education for both Veterans and staff. Since its development, the amount of risk assessments and warm hand-offs to specialists has quadrupled. The other 5 outpatient clinics under Lebanon will implement this model, and it has been named a national best practice.
The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia relocated the Burlington County VA Outpatient Clinic. The new clinic is 22% larger, a more modern facility, and provides expanded services in a convenient location, accessible via public transportation. The new clinic replaces the one previously located on the Dix-Maguire-Lakehurst Joint Base. Services added include optometry, audiology, radiology, and several telehealth services, including nutrition, insomnia, dermatology and teleretinal.
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System's Emergency Department (ED) now schedules follow-up appointments in 19 designated "Rapid Access Clinics" before Veterans leave the ED. Each clinic reserves one to three slots in their weekly schedules for rapid access appointments. Before these clinics were created, consults for follow up – sometimes needed in less than three days – were passed on to service lines to evaluate, contact the Veteran, and schedule appointments in their often fully booked outpatient clinics.
Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center expanded the home based primary care program at its Allentown and Williamsport outpatient clinics. Veterans who have difficulty or are unable to travel to the clinic or medical center receive primary care services in their home. Seven additional professionals began supporting the program in August 2016.
