(MURFREESBORO) Starting this Monday (2/3/2020), the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center will begin local scheduling of community care appointments for enrolled Veterans.

For several years, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System has contracted TriWest to coordinate appointments with community providers for Veterans who meet certain criteria. This change means Veterans will no longer receive calls from TriWest staff to schedule community care appointments. Instead, they'll get those calls from local employees.

TVHS Community Care Manager Shannon Bales said, "While this is a big change for us, our goal is to make it seamless for Veterans. The process won't change."

That process starts with a referral from a VA provider. Once referred for community care, veterans will get a phone call to answer some questions about the best time and date for an appointment. It will work the same way when TVHS staff take over the duties of scheduling appointments.

Bales underlined, "Existing care will not be impacted. We won't need any additional information from our Veterans to ensure their care continues."

Tennessee Valley Healthcare System is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York Campus in Murfreesboro and the Nashville Campus, as well as more than a dozen community-based outpatient clinics located in Tennessee and Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services.