Pursuit's Take
Veterans who are eligible for primary care through the VA are assigned a primary care provider, and the group of veterans assigned to a particular provider is called the provider’s panel. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) OIG “evaluated whether VHA effectively managed provider primary care panels to maximize access to primary care providers.”
OIG found that in the VHA has not maximized provider panel access. For example, OIG determined that over 50% of newly enrolled veterans completed their first appointment more than 30 days past the determined eligibility date. VHA facilities also had panels below panel size recommendations, which affects veterans access to care.
In addition, OIG found that providers are not working at full capacity. According to OIG, “VHA spent about $1.3 billion in salaries in FY 2015 for primary care providers. The lower panel sizes equated to almost $169 million in underutilized provider salaries paid in FY 2015. If recommended actions are not implemented to strengthen panel management, this would equate to about $843 million over the next five years.”
VHA: Reduced Efficiency Could Cost Taxpayers Almost $900 million Over The Next Five Years