Family Health Center no longer in Veterans Choice

 


Once upon a time, local veterans were able to visit Cowlitz Family Health Center clinics, including the clinic in Cathlamet, to see a provider thanks to the Veteran’s Choice Program, instead of traveling farther afield to receive health care at a Veterans Affairs facility.

Not any more.

In a recent email, Family Health Center Director Jim Coffee cited several reasons the contract with Veteran’s Choice was dropped:

“They stopped paying us for services rendered," he said. "When we received a prior authorization for care, it was specific for that issue; if there were any other issues discovered, those services were denied.

"Veterans were required to use a VA pharmacy for any medications; they were not allowed to be filled locally.

"Any referral to specialty care was denied, and the vet would need to be seen at the VA to get a referral.


"Many of the Veterans we were seeing would then need to be seen at a VA facility again anyway.

“These types of issues became a liability to FHC for continuity of care,” Coffee said, “so it was decided to discontinue our contract with that program.”

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/28/2024 14:58