The Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday launched a supplemental website meant to provide veterans with a tool to access quality of care data and patient wait time in real time.
“No other health-care system in the country releases this type of information on wait times. This allows Veterans to see how VA is performing,” VA Sec. David Shulkin said in a statement.
The website, www.accesstocare.va.gov, will list data for the 1,700 national health facilities as well as a dozen private sector hospitals. Currently, data for a little more than a dozen facilities’ are available, though more than 700,000 people checked the website on the day of its grand opening.
The department said a more complete list will be posted by May 1 and will subsequently be updated each month.
The site will allow veterans to see wait times at local VA facilities and reviews of primary and specialty care appointments.
The tool is meant to increase the department’s accountability to the public and “ensures VA is held to a higher standard,” according to a departmental statement.
President Trump promised on the campaign trail to reform the VA in response to a slow recovery since the 2014 wait time scandal at the Phoenix VA medical center revealed it was a national problem. Trump also said he would give veterans the ability to choose between VA and private sector hospitals.
Shulkin was tapped by Trump to lead the department after serving as an undersecretary for the past two years.
