TriWest Schedules 1 Millionth Veteran Appointment

Phoenix, AZ., (June 21, 2016) – TriWest Healthcare Alliance today announced that it just scheduled its 1 millionth Veteran appointment with a community health care provider in its 28 state territory. TriWest is receiving nearly 120,000 requests for care per month, a 6,000% increase in volume from the 2,000 received in the first month of the Veterans Choice Program, a clear sign of progress.

"Scheduling 1 million community care appointments is a huge milestone that demonstrates how we are assisting VA in expanding Veterans' access to needed care and reducing waits," said TriWest Healthcare Alliance President and CEO David McIntyre. "While there is still work to be done, the facts clearly show that the public-private partnership between VA and TriWest Healthcare Alliance is improving service to those Veterans who call our 28 state service area home."

Other key areas of progress for Veterans under the Choice program in the TriWest 28 state region since the beginning of 2015 include:

1. The community provider network across TriWest's 28 state service territory includes nearly 180,000 health care providers of all specialties, including some 20,000 behavioral health providers.
2. Less than 1% of all authorizations for care are returned because no network provider is available.
3. Across all categories of care, the average number of days to make an appointment with TriWest providers is under 4; and the average number of days to the first completed appointment is 13.
4. TriWest is handling nearly 1 million calls a month supporting the Veterans Choice Program, more than triple the volume since the program's inception.
5. TriWest is processing more than 95% of clean claims to community providers within 30 days.