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Health Care Tour: “Seeking Patient-Centered Care”
Greenville VA Outpatient Clinic
The Issue:
- • Many military veterans receive health care services through the VA. This local clinic provides: Primary Care, Mental Health, Pharmacy, Dental, Audiology, Optometry, Dietetics, Routine Radiology and Laboratory Services.
Findings:
- Growing Pains
- Increased Numbers
- In 2007 the Greenville VA Outpatient Clinic served 15, 482 patients with over 80,000 patient interactions.
- In 2008 those numbers have climbed with 12,977 patients being seen in 40,821 patient interactions in Jan – Mar alone.
- Concerned about doctors’ patient loads, Director Brian Heckert has added time slots for walk-in patients. Nurses then decide if walk-ins need to be seen by a doctor.
- Parking for patients and staff is limited, requiring a shuttle to and from an overflow lot during business hours. The distance creates a safety concern.
- New Facilities and Services
- A new Greenville VA clinic is scheduled to open in 2012 or 2013. The money has already been approved by Congress. It will add 20,000 square feet more than the existing Greenville clinic.
- The new Greenville Clinic may expand services, to include a possible radiology unit.
- The VA may contract with other providers in the Upstate in the future, but this is in early stages of planning. Privacy and security of patient records would be an issue if a VA computer were located in a non-government facility.
- Parts of the Spartanburg clinic will open this fall with about 3,000 of the total 12,000 square feet of working space available for use.
- Responsible Prescription Practices
- Some patients complain about the inconvenience of being required to see VA doctors before receiving prescriptions.
- Doctors must review medical records and come to the conclusion that a patient needs a certain drug before they prescribe it, and the VA pharmacy must receive a VA doctor’s prescription before releasing the drug. The doctor’s license is at stake if he or she falsely prescribes a medicine without proper evaluation of the patient.
When: Monday, June 30, 2008
Where: 3510 Augusta Road, Greenville, SC 29605
Attendees: Brian Heckert (Director, Dorn VA Medical Center), Tom Wisnieski (Associate Director, Dorn VA Medical Center), Bernie Hynes (Business Manager, VA Community Based Outpatient Clinics), Dr. Ajay Garg (Director, Greenville and Community Based Outpatient Clinics), Nancy Hruschak (Nurse Manager, Greenville Clinic)