Clinical and scheduling staff at the St. Cloud VA will participate in a national event focused on ensuring Veterans identified as having acute care needs are seen in a timely manner. The second Access Stand Down is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27, from 8 a.m. to noon, in conjunction with regularly scheduled weekend primary care and mental health clinics.
The event is a nationwide effort being undertaken by the Veterans Health Administration at VA medical centers across the nation focusing efforts to reduce the number of patients currently waiting the longest for care, and foster a culture of continuous improvement in the VA?Äôs health care system.
The Access Stand Down will be used to develop solutions for patients awaiting appointments in time sensitive clinics where wait times are longer than desired, including ophthalmology, mental health, general surgery, and nephrology.
A team of clinical leaders and administrators will be on site to reach out to all veterans identified as having the most important and acute needs in these clinical areas to make sure those needs are being met.
?ÄúWe?Äôre doing this because we want to ensure that veterans are not waiting for care they need immediately,?Äù said Atlas Anagnos, acting Group Practice Manager at the St. Cloud VA. ?ÄúIf need be, the staff working the Access Stand Down will contact veterans to either arrange or provide care.?Äù
Once the Access Stand Down is finished, the VHA will conduct an after-action review to identify successes, find gaps and see how those insights can be applied to future actions intended to improve access.
Access Stand Down efforts will continue after Feb. 27 to continue to improve the system in order to better the health needs of those who need help the most.