A new report finds lengthy delays in care at the West Palm Beach Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The VA Office of Inspector General says the staff at the hospital canceled nearly 4,700 cardiology appointments between October 2014 and February of last year. The 15 percent cancellation rate is higher than the national average.
The report says nearly a thousand veterans incurred multiple cancellations and that when appointments were rescheduled, veterans had to wait on average 29 days to see a cardiologist, and some waited as long as 63 days.
Understaffing and a lack of proper training for schedulers were the reasons cited.
The VA says it has since added 3 full-time cardiologists and are providing ongoing training for staff in scheduling regulations.