VISN 2: Veterans' Wellness, Summer 2006

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VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2

Summer 2006

VA Health Care, Leading the Way

	Thanks for writing! We’d like to thank all the veterans who write us with comments, questions and suggestions. Your input helps us to improve Veterans’ Wellness magazine and the service you receive from VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York. We’d like to thank Charles Kreider for his recent suggestion to allow Online Refill users to pay for prescriptions online instead of mailing a check. We are looking into his idea and hope to integrate that service into My HealtheVet soon. If you have a suggestion for an improvement to VA health care or an idea for an upcoming article, let us know. E-mail the editor or write to Editor, Veterans’ Wellness, Network 2 Communications, 465 Westfall Road, Rochester, NY 14620. Please include your phone number for verification. In the future, we hope to highlight more of your ideas in Veterans’ Wellness.

	About Our Mailing List We make every effort to maintain an accurate mailing list. If you have any questions about the mailing list or would like to be added or deleted, please write to: Editor, Veterans’ Wellness Network 2 Communications 465 Westfall Road Rochester, NY 14620 or e-mail: . Please be sure to include your phone number with all correspondence.

	Editorial Board Kathleen Hider Barbara Sellon


Michael S. Finegan Acting Network Director

We’re having a terrific response to the My HealtheVet program. More than 5,000 patients are now registered in the program, and they’ve ordered 9,926 prescriptions online since last September. If you register for the program, you can access important health information and keep track of your blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, blood glucose levels and the date of your last physical. It’s important to know these numbers to be a true partner in your care. Using the new technology in My HealtheVet and partnering with your VA health provider ensures the best medical outcome.

For those who haven’t yet registered for My HealtheVet, I encourage you to check out www.myhealth.va.gov today.

In my first message to you, I promised to provide quarterly updates on our efforts to continually improve the quality of our health care to veterans. Part of my responsibility as a network director is meeting national customer service guidelines. That includes making sure:

Patients who are ill are seen by a provider—the same day if necessary.
Patients needing specialty care get an appointment within 30 days.
New patients are seen within 30 days.

I’m pleased to report that we’re first nationwide for best average score in patient waiting times. We didn’t get to be number one on our own—you helped us make a difference. Every time you call to cancel or reschedule an appointment enables a VA provider to see another patient.

I hope you enjoy reading about one of our newest veterans in this issue. Mr. Thomas Waterman volunteered to tell his first impression of VA health care so that other returning veterans will make an appointment to learn firsthand that VA is leading the way in health care in the 21st century.

Have a wonderful and safe summer.

Sincerely,
Michael S. Finegan,
Acting Network Director

Reviewed/Updated Date: January 16, 2007