VHIE News
‘Phenomenal’ Reduction in Wait Time: VA Direct and Biloxi VA Medical Center Improving Veteran Experiences
Air Force Veteran and Supervisory Medical Support Assistant (MSA) for the Office of Community Care (OCC), knows the saying, "Hurry up and wait." But in his job at the VA Gulf Coast Healthcare System, Chavez-Thompson can't afford to wait. Reducing wait times for Veterans who need important care is a priority for Secretary Collins and the VA.
Chavez-Thompson explains that VA Direct (a tool for sending and receiving patient information from provider to provider safely) has had a "phenomenal" impact on his team at the Biloxi, Mississippi VA Medical Center. He says staff members are pleased the use of VA Direct over the last six months has made referral times (from receiving a consult to scheduled delivery) for Veterans 66% faster.
Since starting to use VA Direct, the Biloxi VA Medical Center team has seen the average time from receiving a medical consult to its scheduled delivery go from several weeks to a few days. "That is astronomical," Chavez-Thompson said. For him and his team, the benefit of VA Direct is very clear. This is especially true for important screenings like mammograms. He never wants to tell a patient that a fax was lost or not received. Unlike faxes and phone calls, he said, VA Direct can communicate in real-time.
To other MSA supervisors thinking about using VA Direct, Chavez-Thompson says, "the numbers speak for themselves."
