Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center

Avoid being a “no-show”. Need to cancel? Just let us know. That is to say, give your fellow Veterans a chance to use the scheduled time you can’t. Cancel your appointments as soon as you know that you won’t be there.

You can use the Automated Telephone Appointment Cancellation System. Simply dial the Louis A. Johnson VAMC (LAJVAMC) main telephone number (304)623-3461. When the automated system answers, follow these steps.

• Press 2 for appointments.
• Press 4 for the automated appointment system
• Enter your Social Security Number followed by “#” when prompted.
• Press 1 for appointments.
• Verify your phone number if and when requested.
• Listen to your first scheduled appointment
• Press            
  • 1 to confirm,
  • 2 to cancel,
  • 3 to reschedule,
  • 4 to repeat the information,
  • 5 to continue to the next appointment,
  • 6 to transfer to an attendant,
  • or “#” to disconnect.
• Follow instructions to use other functions of the automated system, or hang up if you are finished.

Although it’s called a “cancellation system”, as you can tell, it does much more.

Last year, Veterans missed some 9.2 million VA appointments. The situation is improving, but it’s nowhere near perfect yet. That being said, let’s look at some ways that you can better remember that you have an appointment.

First, let’s talk about some ways that the VA tries to help Veterans remember their appointments.

An appointment will usually be made when you check out with the clerk at the outpatient clinic or you will get a follow-up call and given the option to choose from available times. You’ll be notified three different ways in the lead-up to your appointment.

The most basic way this is done is with cards and letters delivered through the U.S. Mail. Whenever you, or providers at the VA, make an appointment for you to be seen, you will receive a written notice of the time, date, facility, and clinic where you are scheduled. You can make this easier on yourself by marking the appointments on a calendar, in a planner, or entering them into your smartphone. You can also keep the appointment notices in one regular place and review them at least once each week, discarding those you have already attended, cancelled, or rescheduled.

At any time you can also get a complete list of appointments from a primary or specialty care outpatient clinic clerk.

If you have a valid home phone number in your file, you will probably get a pre-appointment reminder call. This could either be through an automated system or from a live person.

Since this spring (2018), Veterans who have a valid cellphone number in their file will receive a text message. It will look something like this.

You have an upcoming appointment with the VA on [month, day].

Reply:

Y[odd number] to CONFIRM

N[even number] to CANCEL

 

More info at https://www.myhealth.va.gov or 304-623-3461.

Send STOP to end messages.

Note that you can opt out by texting “STOP”.

A My HealtheVet account is a great way to keep track of your appointments, as-well-as manage your health and VA healthcare. You must have at least an advanced account to receive messages about your appointments via email. Also provided is online scheduling for certain kinds of outpatient care. See the information about online scheduling below. What’s more, a premium account will allow for you to send and receive secure messages with VA staff. Visit https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/home for more information and to register or dial 1-877-327-0022 for assistance. For further assistance and upgrade to a premium account, contact the LAJVAMC My HealtheVet Coordinator Ramona Dewitt-Morris at (304)623-3461 x2567, room 1232D. Note: When registering a new My HealtheVet account, be sure to select “VA Patient” when asked about your relationship with the VA. This will ensure that your new account will be an advanced account.

The VA Online Scheduling (app) accesses your VA Electronic Health Record and, for your security, requires you to enter ID.me, DS Logon, or My HealtheVet account credentials. If you have VA health care benefits, you can schedule your VA primary and care appointments and request assistance in scheduling mental health appointments online if you:

are scheduling your appointment with a VA medical facility that accepts online scheduling, and

have had an appointment at that VA medical facility within the last 2 years, and

have a My HealtheVet Premium account OR DS Logon Premium account.

You may also cancel appointments within 24 hours of the scheduled time.

Online Scheduling is available for iOS, Android and Windows operating systems. See https://mobile.va.gov/app/va-online-scheduling for further information. Veterans may also call (877) 470-5947 (Weekdays 7am - 7pm CT) for assistance. If you do not have a DS Logon Level 2 (Premium) Account and want one, or have questions, visit https://mobile.va.gov/dslogon or dial 1-800-983-0937 for assistance. Note: Use of a DS Logon Level 2 is only recommended for advanced computer users.

We’d like to thank you in advance for helping us to serve more Veterans in a timely manner by simply notifying us that you won’t be there and showing up promptly when you can.