TULSA, Okla. — The quality and accessibility to healthcare are paramount to a thriving community.
One group in particular, Veterans, has an entire federal government department dedicated to ensuring they are cared for.
However, the quality of care at VA hospitals has been debated for quite some time.
"It's the honor of my professional life to serve those who have worn the uniform on our behalf," Dr. Shereef Elnahal, undersecretary for health at the VA, said.
Dr. Elnahal was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in July of last year.
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According to the VA, he leads the care of 9 million enrolled Veterans.
That includes many Veterans in Green Country.
"The veterans in the Tulsa area in Oklahoma should feel confident that when they go into one of our hospitals and clinics in the area, they're getting superior care,” Dr. Elnahal said.
According to recent numbers released in late July, 67% of VA hospitals in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's annual Overall Hospital Quality Star Ratings received either 4 or 5 stars.
Compare that to the 41% of non-VA hospitals.
To read more about the report, visit the VA’s website here.
One of those five-star hospitals is right here in Oklahoma.
When asked how he would convince Veterans who did not wish to use the VA for their healthcare, Dr. Elnahal responded by saying these recent numbers should show the progress the department is making.
“This is just one of many reasons that we're asking veterans to give us their trust and come in for care,” Dr. Elnahal said. “If Veterans tried to get into VA before and they weren't given access, or they weren't given the best experience, folks should know that, especially over the last 10-15 years, VA has improved significantly on quality and patient safety.
Michael Sturgill is a Veteran who does all his healthcare through the VA.
He said his experience with the VA has been good for the most part.
"There's hits and misses,” Sturgill said. “With the organization that large, you're going to have to expect a little bit of movement on the bar they're setting to achieve."
His biggest complaint with the VA is specialty care.
"Anything involved with that, the wait times are ridiculous,” Sturgill said. “Months out."
Sturgill said he has seen some progress on wait times with the help of the Community Care program.
"I believe a lot of vets do know about it, but depending on who you're speaking to there, that will let you know, ‘Hey, this is gonna be a month, two months out, would you like to you care in the community?’ But there's a lot that don't, and unless you know, to ask anything over 30 days, to be able to go out in town,” Sturgill said. “They don't know about it, and they wait for care. And that's not too copacetic with me."
Sturgill admits the experience is different for everyone.
"A lot of the complaints is wait times,” Sturgill said. “Going in for specific problems and then getting sent for tests or to a specialist for something that doesn't have anything to do with why they went in."
From what he has seen, Sturgill believes the VA has been making strides in the right direction.
To enroll directly into VA healthcare without first applying for VA benefits, Veterans who served post 9/11 but left before Oct. 1, 2013, must enroll before the Sept. 30 deadline.
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