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[♪]

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>> Narrator: The Veterans Health Administration serves millions

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of Veterans each year as America’s
largest integrated health care system.

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Navigating your own health care options
in a system as large as VA’s can feel

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overwhelming. That is where VA’s
Access to Care website can help.

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On Access to Care, you can explore many
types of health care data. For example,

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Veterans, caregivers, and the public can use the
website to find information about wait times,

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quality of health care, and Veterans’
experiences of care at VA medical centers.

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Providing this information to Veterans is
the main reason for this site. In fact,

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much of this information is required by law
to be shared with Veterans and the public.

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This information can help you make informed
decisions about your or a loved one’s health care

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If you’re interested in the information on access
to VA care - VA publishes average wait times for

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primary care, mental health, and specialty care
appointments at each of its medical centers.

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Average wait times for all VA medical centers
and clinics are calculated internally within VA.

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On the Access to Care website, view average
wait times by location and/or clinic type to

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help you determine how soon you may be seen.
The wait times are updated daily so you can

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get a look at the average number of days
you may have to wait for an appointment.

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You can also use the site to learn more about
VA’s quality of care. VA is committed to providing

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high quality health care and to openly sharing
its progress with Veterans and the public. VA

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follows the same recognized standards and measures
for quality used in private sector health care.

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On Access to Care, Veterans and
caregivers can review health care

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quality performance to see how a local VA
medical center’s care compares to other

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facilities in the area. You can also check
out quality measures for nursing home care.

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Find information covering many areas
of care including the safety of care,

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the effectiveness of care, and Veterans’
experiences of care at VA medical centers.

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If you are interested in learning
more about the quality of VA’s care,

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additional metrics on VA’s performance
can be found on the Centers for Medicare

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and Medicaid Services Care Compare
website at medicare.gov/care-compare.

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You can also feel free to explore
other parts of the Access to Care site.

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For example, you can search for information on VA

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providers in your local area
using the online directory.

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You can visit the Access to Care
website from your local VA medical

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center homepage or by visiting the
website directly at accesstocare.va.gov.

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Please keep in mind that the Access to
Care site is designed to openly provide

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information on access and quality performance to
Veterans and the public. As an information site,

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it is not intended to help you access
specific services at a VA medical center.

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Please contact your preferred VA medical
center directly to register for VA care,

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make an appointment, reach your provider,
or learn about the many services at your

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local facility. These options and services are
not available on the Access to Care website.

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VA is committed to providing Veterans with
the highest quality care when and where you

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need it. Information on Access to Care will
help you make decisions about your care.