Veterans…Our Healthcare Priority & Our National Pride

WELCOME
The staff welcomes you to the McAllen VA Outpatient Clinic. Please take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with our clinic. We offer customer friendly, quality healthcare Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The clinic is closed on weekends and national holidays. 

South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) and McAllen VA Outpatient Clinic support our mission of quality and excellence in health care.
 

SIX KEY DRIVERS FOR SUCCESS ARE

 CLINICAL QUALITY – ACCESS TO CARE – CUSTOMER SERVICE

OPTIMIZE RESOURCES – BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES

EMPLOYER OF CHOICE

Primary care is when one provider coordinates all your medical care. You will usually see this provider, however; when needed, you will be referred for specialty tests or treatment. Reports of this care are returned to the primary care provider, who can coordinate all your care.

In addition to primary care, this clinic has a laboratory, radiology, mental health, nutrition, podiatry, social work, and physical therapy services available to eligible veterans. Please ask your primary care provider for more information.

The McAllen VA Outpatient Clinic does not provide after hour care. The clinic closes at 4:30 p.m. weekdays and is closed weekends and holidays. Tele-Care is available providing 24-hour telephone medical advice to veteran-patients. This service has bilingual capability and provides prompt, reliable, and courteous answers to patients’ questions. Calling the VA’s toll free number at 1-888-686-6350 to access this service.

The Telecare system provides telephone medical advice to veterans of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System.  The service has bilingual capability and provides prompt, reliable and courteous answers to patient's questions.  Veteran-patients and their family members can contract the VA's toll-free number at 1-888-686-6350.

The McAllen VA Outpatient Clinic does not provide Emergency Services.  If you have a medical emergency, call 911or your local medical emergency room at your expense, unless you are eligible for private care at VA expense

Our Open Access Scheduling is a patient-friendly system that will allow you to schedule an appointment with your provider in a timely manner.  Our goal is to schedule you an appointment within 5 to 7 days of your appointment request and at a time that is both convenient for you and your provider.  Our appointment system is designed to provide you with a reminder letter prompting you to call our clinic when it is time for you to schedule your next visit.  It is your responsibility to contact us in order to schedule your appointment once you receive the reminder letter.

How does the Open Access Scheduling system work?

·   At the end of each visit, your provider will determine whether a follow-up visit is required.

·   If a follow-up visits is required, then your provider will recommend an approximate date for your next visit.

·   If your provider wants you to return within 30 days, you will be scheduled an appointment before you leave the clinic.

·   If the recommended return date is beyond 30 days you will be mailed a reminder letter two weeks prior to the date, advising you to call for an appointment.

·   When you call, every effort will be made to schedule you within 5 to 7 working days.

·   If you develop a medical problem prior to your next scheduled visit, you may call the clinic scheduling department and ask to speak to your primary care nurse for instruction.

(956) 618-7145 or 1-866-622-5536

·   If you do not receive a reminder letter and you believe the time has past to schedule an appointment please call the above telephone numbers.

·   Walk-in appointments are not recommended.

Report to the clinic 15 to 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to allow time to park your car and register with your Team Patient Service Assistant (PSA).

You are encouraged to keep all scheduled appointments.  Failure to report as scheduled may result in delays in receiving treatment and medications necessary to your health.  If is very important for you to provide us during each of your visits your current home/cell telephone numbers, your current address and insurance information.  Please bring all of your insurance information to each visit. 

We encourage you to provide a list of all the medications you are taking, to your primary care provider.  These include medications you receive from private sector clinicians and over the counter medications along with herbals and multi-vitamins. 

Adequate parking is adjacent to the building to accommodate your needs.

All prescriptions are available thru the VA unless you are told otherwise.  Refills may be obtained using TeleMed, our 24-hour telephone refill service, 1-800-209-7377 or by mailing your prescription refill slip to 2101 S Col. Rowe Blvd, McAllen Texas 78503.  Allow 10 - 14 days to receive medication in the mail.  You are responsible for mailing or calling your refill requests at least 10 to 14 days before the last dose is taken.  Each prescription label states the number of refills remaining.  If you receive a medication which lists “0” refills and you have been instructed to continue the medication, telephone the clinic’s nursing staff immediately so that either a new prescription can be written or an appointment can be scheduled. 

TeleMed is our 24-hour telephone refill service, reached by calling

1-800-209-7377.  Have your complete social security number available and refill numbers ready to enter into your telephone key pad.  A touch-tone telephone is necessary.

Inform the clinic of any address changes to receive your medications in a timely manner.  If you feel that a medication has not arrived when expected, please do not wait until your next appointment; call the clinic number and ask to speak with the pharmacy department.

Telephone calls concerning medications and health related matters are welcome. 

Your call will be taken by trained personnel who will ask for the name of the person calling, the name of the patient, the last four numbers of the social security number, symptoms and duration of illness, and a telephone call back number. 

This information will be given to your nurse and/or primary care provider who will call you back.  Telephone calls will be returned as soon as possible. 

If you have any medical questions or concerns between visits please call us between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. M-F.  If we cannot handle your problem over the phone you will be instructed to:

·         Call 911 if it is an Emergency

·         Come to the clinic that day

·         Given an appointment in the next few days

You have the right to:

• Respectful care
• Complete information
• Informed consent
• Refuse treatment
• Privacy
• Confidentiality
• Acceptance for treatment
• Information about affiliation
• Refuse experimental treatment
• Knowledge of hospital regulations
• Information about continuing care
• Information about billing

For more information, contact the
Health Benefits Advisor at (956) 618-7103

The McAllen VA Outpatient Clinic, established in 1972, began as an outpatient facility housed in a trailer. In 1978, the clinic relocated, from the trailer, to a structure of approximately 5,000 square feet. After continuous workload increase and the need for more space, a new facility was built and leased to the VA for use by the clinic. This facility, consisting of approximately 27,000 square feet, opened in August 1991. It is located 250 miles from the parent facility, Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital, which is located in San Antonio, Texas. The clinic area of availability encompasses the seven southern counties of Texas and is comprised of approximately 40,000 veterans. During the winter, the veteran population increases significantly due to the influx of winter visitors to the area.

Primary Care Services are provided at the clinic. These services include medical, psychiatry, psychology, geriatric, endocrinology, urology, surgical, podiatry, gynecology and flexible sigmoidoscopy. Ancillary services provided at the clinic are pharmacy, physical therapy, laboratory, radiology, social service and dietary.

The Clinic in conjunction with the South Texas Family Practice Residency program in McAllen and with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio participate in teaching family practice residents. This program includes third and fourth year medical students.