Longer wait times affect future use of VHA primary care

Background: Improving access to the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a high priority, particularly given statutory mandates of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act. This study examined whether patient-reported wait times for VHA appointments were associated with future reliance on VHA primary care services. Methods: This observational study examined 13,595 VHA patients dually enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare. Data sources included VHA administrative data, Medicare claims and the Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (SHEP). Primary care use was defined as the number of face-to-face visits from VHA and Medicare in the 12 months following SHEP completion. VHA reliance was defined as the number of VHA visits divided by total visits (VHA+Medicare). Wait times were derived from SHEP responses measuring the usual number of days to a VHA appointment with patients’ primary care provider for those seeking immediate care. We defined appointment wait times categorically: 0 days, 1 day, 2–3 days, 4–7 days and >7 days. We used fractional logistic regression to examine the relationship between wait times and reliance. Results: Mean VHA reliance was 88.1% (95% CI = 86.7% to 89.5%) for patients reporting 0 day waits. Compared with these patients, reliance over the subsequent year was 1.4 (p = 0.041), 2.8 (p = 0.001) and 1.6 (p = 0.014) percentage points lower for patients waiting 2–3 days, 4–7 days and >7 days, respectively. Conclusions: Patients reporting longer usual wait times for immediate VHA care exhibited lower future reliance on VHA primary care. Implications: Longer wait times may reduce care continuity and impact cost shifting across two federal health programs.