Oregon VA hospitals, call center get low ratings

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An assessment by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs concluded that more than 12 percent of callers to its Portland call center get tired of waiting for someone to answer and hang up.

The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/2hkveTN ) that many callers have waited more than three minutes to have someone answer.

The VA also gave poor grades to Oregon’s three VA hospitals. The Portland facility rated only two out of five starts when it was assessed last December, while Roseburg’s got two stars in June and White City’s received a single star both last December and in June.

Portland’s hospital says its ratings in several areas, including inpatient performance and mortality rates, were better than the national average. Roseburg and White City released statements pointing out improvements at their facilities.

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Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.comnal.com