Watch CBS News

VA Moving To Fill Vacancies, Add Staff To Reduce Wait Times

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) -- Data supplied to The Associated Press from the Department of Veterans Affairs show that thousands of Maryland VA medical appointments didn't meet the agency's goal of seeing patients within 30 days.

About 8,800 of more than 300,000 appointments completed during the six-month period ending Feb. 28 didn't meet that goal. The failure rate at Maryland facilities was 2.9 percent, or roughly one in 34 visits. The national rate was 2.8 percent.

The state's worst-performing facility was an outpatient clinic in Glen Burnie, near Baltimore, with a failure rate of 8.1 percent over the six-month period.

The VA says the clinic had lost two of its five primary care providers. It says those positions have been filled.

The VA says its adding providers elsewhere to improve wait times in Maryland.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.