Letter to Barbara Fallen, Director of Loma Linda Healthcare System

Letter

Dear Ms. Fallen,

While I have not heard of any of these actions from your facilities, I am deeply concerned with reports of retaliation against VA employees at other facilities across the country who feel their jobs are being threatened for reporting improper actions at VA medical centers. I encourage you to maintain the integrity of our local VA healthcare system by taking any credible allegations seriously.

While I appreciate and respect the quality of care most VA employees bring to their jobs, the recent finding of misrepresentation of wait times in VA clinics throughout the nation is unacceptable. As I'm sure you are aware, it appears this has been a pervasive problem for some time.

These findings are unfortunate but fixable. We must ensure veterans have faith they can depend on their health benefits to help them have a good quality of life. We should focus on ensuring veterans can expect some sense of urgency when they seek medical attention.

In order to enhance my understanding of the health care system available to my veteran constituents, I am hoping you will be able to answer the following questions:

1. What is the average wait time for VA beneficiaries to see a doctor?
2. With current patients and new patients, how do you track data related to hospital visits and wait time, specifically for primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care?
3. How does your patient advocacy structure operate?
4. How do people call to reschedule or move up appointments? Do you collect data on the number of rescheduled appointments and the wait times associated with rescheduling patients?
5. How much do you think the shortage of doctors impacts wait times at Loma Linda. What types of care are most affected?

I look forward to hearing from you and working together to ensure our veterans are being cared for.

Sincerely,


Mark Takano
Member of Congress

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