The VA Continues to Struggle—Especially in Terms of Improved Access
本文批评了退伍军人事务部部长对候诊时间重要性的轻视，指出候诊时间过长曾导致前任部长辞职，且2016年报告显示新患者需等待3-8周才能就诊。
comparing the wait time for care at the VA with those at a Disney theme park may be one of the more politically tonedeaf remarks from a cabinet member in recent memory. The secretary was correct in saying that wait times per se are not a valid measure of patient experience at the VA. However, given that his predecessor, General Eric Shinseki, was forced to resign because of a combination of excessive wait times, falsification of wait times to hide actual wait times, and charges of deaths and lesser adverse outcomes as a result of excessive delays, McDonald's dismissal of the interest in and relevance of wait times is mystifying. This is especially true given a 2016 report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicating new patients at the VA are waiting 3-8 weeks for medical appointments.