VA Minneapolis HCS facilities schedule 101,147 medical appointments in March 2021

By East Twin Cities

May 16, 2021

The VA Minneapolis Health Care System Minnesota scheduled 101,147 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 89,837 had a wait time of 30 days or less (88.82%) and 11,310 appointments (11.18%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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 cautioning 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.

Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains 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 don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA Minneapolis Health Care System Pending Appointments Scheduled in March

Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Minneapolis, MN	69,815	61,551	8,264
Twin Ports, WI	8,262	7,454	808
St. James, MN	540	539	1
Hibbing, MN	1,398	1,376	22
Maplewood, MN	2,608	2,327	281
Chippewa Valley, WI	3,788	3,600	188
Rochester, MN	2,905	2,851	54
Rochester, MN	2,905	2,851	54
Hayward, WI	236	229	7
Northwest Metro, MN	6,294	4,811	1,483
Shakopee, MN	824	774	50
Albert Lea, MN	571	561	10
Minneapolis Harmon Place, MN	210	206	4
Rice Lake, WI	1,750	1,657	93
Mankato, MN (Lyle C. Pearson)	1,596	1,560	36
Fort Snelling, MN	143	143	0
Ely, MN	207	198	9