Good news? Georgia VA patients report progress in quality of care.

Ed Smith's recent positive experience with the Veterans Affairs facilities in the CSRA may be proof that the agency is rebounding from past issues.

But local leaders, including the agency itself, are still focused on making improvements on cited deficiencies including extended wait times and managerial concerns.

Smith, from Aiken and an Army veteran who served in the 1960s in Vietnam and Germany, spoke about a dull pain he was experience in his shoulder earlier this year in June. That pain turned into Smith taking a nuclear stress test and eventually having to undergo a triple bypass surgery.

The procedure, though scary, alerted Smith to the positive efforts of the local VA, from its Aiken offices to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center on Fort Gordon in Augusta.

"If the heart doctor here in Aiken hadn't scheduled me for the nuclear stress test, I would have never known what was wrong with me. And at GRU and Eisenhower, they did excellent jobs," Smith said.

David Lobb, the vice president for legislative affairs with the state's Military Officers Association of America, also commended the VA staffers for their work effort. The problem, however, has not been with the workers but with management, Lobb said.

Many of the issues with the local VA date to 2013 when three deaths were reported at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in downtown Augusta. The deaths were linked to delays in care and the issue made national news, including then-director Robert Hamilton speaking about the issue in an interview with CNN.

Lobb said he has still heard reports about the VA not keeping up with those entitled to claims for radiation exposure to gamma rays. Other issues Lobb cited included high numbers of claims as well as long wait times.

Charlie Norwood acknowledged several of the problems including recruitment "in light of negative media publicity."

Other issues include increases in wait times, but the VA reported that it is still well below the standard of 30 days. Wait time numbers for July include 8.66 days for primary care, 6.26 days for specialty care is and 1.47 days for mental health. Those numbers are slight increases from June's times of 7.82 days for primary care and 6.09 days for specialty care. Mental health saw a slight decrease from 1.93 days in June.

In the leadership offices, Charlie Norwood reported that three of the five senior leaders are new, as well as several of the service chiefs/managers.

"These changes allow new perspectives and enable new ideas to continually improve the way that we deliver high-quality, accessible care," officials said.

Charlie Norwood added that quality care, including patient safety, will always remain a high priority.

Lobb voiced his support for managerial changes and said lawmakers should also play a role in making changes.

"There's a lot of room for improvement, and I think oversight in management is the No. 1 thing our legislators can look at to create change," Lobb said.

http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/georgia-va-patients-report-progress-in-quality-of-care-1.366861