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Monday, December 23, 2024

Fargo VAMC facility in Bismarck scheduled 1,192 medical appointments in July 2020

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The Fargo VA Medical Center, subsidiary 437GB in Bismarck, North Dakota, scheduled 1,192 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,102 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.5%) and 90 appointments (7.6%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA's data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to one of eight priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities and earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Fargo VA Medical Center Appointments Scheduled in July
Facility CodeLocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
437Fargo21,01118,5552,456
437GBBismarck1,1921,10290
437GEBemidji1,0341,00331
437GDMinot80776839
437GIGrand Forks70068416
437GCFergus Falls4584508
437GJDickinson3063024
437GKJamestown1911865
437GLDevils Lake1731730
437GFWilliston1471425
437GAGrafton1361351
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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