In an effort to get veterans care as soon as possible, the Veterans Administration hospital in Dallas will spend approximately $70M redirecting patients to private providers in North Texas, according to a report from WFAA8 ABC.
There are nearly three-dozen providers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area currently treating the backlog of veterans in the area, some of whom hope to develop permanent relationships with the VA after the scheduling difficulties have passed, according to the article.
In the first quarter of 2014, the VA made patients approximately 3,400 appointments with private providers. In the second quarter that number nearly tripled to around 10,100 appointments. While the VA has always been able to send patients to private providers, the recent increase in referrals is due to a backlog of patients who have waited unreasonable amounts of time for care, as classified by Congress and the Obama administration.
Since the increase in referrals began, the Dallas VA has decreased its wait times from 30 days to 23 days and 25 days for primary and specialty care appointments, according to the article.
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