Local Veterans Satisfied with Access to VA Medical Care
By Andrea Johnson
Despite national criticism of the Veterans Health Administration over the years, the majority of veterans utilizing services at the medical center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, have been satisfied with their care, according to VA survey data.
The Veterans Health Administration Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP) results in a score that helps officials determine veterans’ level of satisfaction when it comes to quality of medical care. At least 70 percent of veterans reported satisfaction with their access to primary and specialty care within the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville.
Jennifer Hosley, a 29-year-old Fort Smith resident and senior at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, joined the Army in 2007 and left active duty in 2012. During her time in active duty, she gave birth to her son and thinks she received adequate care during her pregnancy, she said. She received medicine to help stop the vomiting, time off to go to her appointments and financial coverage for her birth in a hospital outside of the VA system.
Since then, Hosley and her son receive health care through the VA system, and she has been satisfied with that care, she said.
Hosley sees various specialty care professionals through the VA health system, including a gynecologist for yearly exams and an endocrinologist to assess any thyroid problems that arise. When it’s time to schedule her yearly exam, she receives a phone call and follow-up calls if she forgets to respond with her preferred appointment date.
“I probably give them more trouble than they give me when it comes to scheduling anything,” she said.
Aware that VA patients in other locations may experience scheduling waits, Hosley thinks the VA clinic she visits in Fort Smith and the VA hospital in Fayetteville are exceptional, she said.
“They’re always really good about contacting me to let me know I need an appointment,” Hosley said. “They’re thorough as soon as I get in there. I don’t have to wait very long.”
Buster McCall, a 49-year-old Fayetteville resident and retired Air Force service member, experienced similar wait times at the Fayetteville medical center. He typically only visits for annual checkups, but he will often receive a call from his provider notifying him of earlier appointment options, he said.
“It’s very well-respected. We know we have a gem here,” McCall said.
McCall and Hosley have been satisfied with their access to VA medical care in Fayetteville, they said. However, some veterans cannot find appropriate care at their closest medical center and may be placed on the Electronic Wait List.
Veteran patients first go through the Primary Care Management Module of the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture to be assigned a primary care team and provider. If the appropriate caretakers are not available or do not exist within the respective VA hospital, patients are added to the EWL. The EWL directs patients to necessary resources at a different location or assigns them to a different team.
Electronic wait times tend to last longer than regular wait times, according to VA data.
Hosley has heard of patients being sent away from their respective VA facility, but she has not heard complaints of that happening at facilities in the Fort Smith or Fayetteville area, she said.
“Hopefully the VA system isn’t as bad as everybody projects it to be,” Hosley said. “But I know that in this area, from my experience, I can’t say that it is (so bad). I’m pretty proud of the VA health care and the way they treat us.”
CONTACT INFORMATION
Buster McCall
(479) 575-8742
Age 49
GACS Suites 115-116
640 N. Garland Ave.
Fayetteville, AR 72701
Jennifer Hosley
(479) 212-0098
Age 29
UAFS Veterans Resource Center
5210 Grand Ave.
Fort Smith, AR 72913-3649
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