‘We Have A Lot Further To Go’: Tom Barrett Wants Streamlined Medical Scheduling For Rural Veterans

5 months ago

At a House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI) spoke about the need to improve how veterans schedule medical appointments in rural areas.

Transcript

00:00Sure, thank you. And I wanted to follow up a little bit more, Dr. Zomchek, about the EPS scheduling and how that has been integrated.

00:13I know it's not fully at every facility yet, and I'm curious in your vision where it's being used and how it's being utilized,

00:20and if you have any feedback for us as to how that's going in its real application sense now.

00:25Yes, thanks for that question. EPS, I'm well aware of it, part of being the governance board that's been discussed for a number of months now,

00:38and so I've been involved in those discussions and in the rollout kind of input about the planning.

00:45At this point, we don't have any of our eight facilities in VISN-12 that are in the pilot, as you had mentioned.

00:53However, I think it's a great thing. I think it's a wonderful opportunity to provide more resources and access for our vets and timeliness.

01:06I mean, literally, it's moving appointment scheduling from days or weeks, in some cases, to the period of minutes.

01:16So I'm encouraged about it, but I do think it's a double-side coin idea in terms of implementation, right?

01:25You really need the local medical center to be, you know, engaged in opening up those clinic slots,

01:31but you also need the community partner and a connection like CEO to CEO to open up those grids

01:38and then kind of get proof of concept so that it can be expanded.

01:42Sure. For those that may be here today unfamiliar, basically, when you call to schedule an appointment,

01:48often in community care, I had this example happen to me.

01:53I had an audiology appointment, and they had to first call me and get my availability,

01:58then call these other providers that were available, then call me back,

02:02and they scheduled it at a time I told them I wasn't available.

02:05And then they told me, well, when that happens, we just schedule you for the next appointment

02:08if we can't meet your, you know, timeline that you're available.

02:12And I'm like, well, I'm literally going to be out of the state.

02:15You know, I'm going to be in Washington, D.C., and you scheduled me an appointment in Michigan at the same time.

02:21And it was a very significant hassle.

02:24And so I think having that real-time awareness so you're not going through that game of telephone

02:29is really critically important.

02:32And so I think you're right, though.

02:33You need both the VA scheduler as well as the community care provider to opt into that meshing of information

02:44so that that scheduling is going to be available for people.

02:47And they can know what's close to home, what's available, and what am I willing to travel farther for,

02:51what's nearby and timely and everything else.

02:56And I think that's, you know, an important thing that we've got to kind of pull together, basically.

03:01And, Dr. Caboli, on that piece of it, have you, and maybe I'm not sure if you have awareness of this,

03:11do you feel like there is that awareness and buy-in by potential community care partners

03:16when we offer this to them that they have that willingness to participate?

03:20Absolutely.

03:21So our office has kind of followed the external provider scheduling programs for the last three years.

03:26And, you know, we've worked, for example, with the Nebraska Rural Health Association

03:32because they're really tied into the rural communities and saying,

03:35we will partner with you to make sure that they're on the grids.

03:37Because, like you said, if the scheduler has access to both grids at that exact moment in time

03:42when they're on the phone with the veteran, they can say, we can get you into the VA in 32 days

03:47or we can get you into this other clinic in 47 days, which would you rather have?

03:51Or, you know, and so I think if it works half as well as we hope it does, it'll still be good.

03:59But I think, you know, I think they're up to, what, there were 4,000 appointments made last month in June.

04:05So it's ramping up quickly.

04:07So I think it'll prove to be mutually beneficial, and that's where it will work.

04:12And I'm not sure if this is a best question for you or not,

04:15but the community care partners, do you feel that they feel like they are getting a –

04:22I mean, everybody always wants a greater reimbursement,

04:25but do you feel it at least is a market reimbursement rate

04:27that is something that will draw in community care partnerships?

04:31Yeah, so we've gone around and met with community, you know, partners.

04:35And I still practice in Iowa, and I talk to these other providers all the time.

04:39And they're happy with the rates that we provide.

04:41It's just you have to make it easy.

04:43The harder you make it, especially, you know, with record exchange,

04:47the harder we make it, it just becomes a hassle.

04:50But I think they're really committed to the veterans and their community,

04:53and I've never heard anybody in the community ever say,

04:55you know what, taking care of veterans is not a priority for us.

04:57They always want to care for veterans.

04:59Yeah, and we want to draw in the best that we can by having a reimbursement rate

05:03that's reflective of the service that's provided that does that

05:06to really strengthen those particularly rural community partners that we have.

05:10So thank you.

05:11I can yield to the ranking member.

05:14Do you have other questions?

‘We Have A Lot Further To Go’: Tom Barrett Wants Streamlined Medical Scheduling For Rural Veterans

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