The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed a hotline complaint from January 2023 alleging that the Atlanta VA medical center’s call center was not answering calls and scheduling appointments within the expected time frame due to staffing shortages.
The OIG substantiated the allegations that the call center did not meet Veterans Health Administration (VHA) abandonment rate and timeliness standards because the call center did not have enough staff answering calls during the review period, which can lead to delays in scheduling appointments, potentially increase wait times, and decrease access to care. During the review period, the call center did not meet VHA’s call center standards, with 30 percent (rather than 5 percent) of the callers abandoning their calls, and only 22 percent (rather than 80 percent) of answered calls picked up within 30 seconds. Based on VHA’s recommended call center staffing model, the OIG estimated the call center needed 53 staff to answer the 135,600 calls received during the review period; the call center averaged 29 staff.
Other factors contributed to the call center’s inability to meet the performance standards. Call center supervisors focused on reviewing daily performance reports and real-time data provided through the call center dashboard, but they did not review cumulative data that could improve staff monitoring to ensure adequate phone coverage throughout the day and help address substandard handle times. Call center staff raised concerns during the review about possible problems in the management of the specialty care clinic telephone lines and mental health queue, which may also need to be addressed by facility leaders.
The OIG made three recommendations to the Veterans Integrated Service Network director and one recommendation to the facility director to assess the staffing and operations of the contact center and specialty care queues at the facility.
GA
United States
