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Veterans Wait Times was conducted during President Barack Obama administration. It addresses a gap in current literature regarding long wait times to schedule medical appointments at veteran hospitals and clinics, which results in unmet appointments for our United States veterans.

This study contributes to literature by identifying the reactive approach that the U.S. government uses to address the initial problem. It is written from the context of a respiratory therapist and explores the theory of applying telemedicine, of which remote monitoring is included, and telehealth services in a proactive manner to address the problem of long wait times at hospitals and clinics.

The study identifies that the respiratory therapy field has limited involvement in applying telemedicine or telehealth systems. Respiratory therapists are not currently being used to implement telemedicine or telehealth services, nor are they engaged in solving the problem of long wait times currently being experienced by our veterans.

The study tests hypotheses using quantitative and qualitative data related to United States Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy and other veterans. Using a combination of random and convenience sampling, participants in the San Antonio, Texas area answered survey questions. Results indicate that patients may benefit from the application of telemedicine and telehealth services if the services were leverage using a proactive approach. A congressional investigation provides a sense of urgency to this problem and identifies it as root cause of numerous deaths suffered by veterans. Despite the attention of Congress, veterans are not being treated in a timely manner and in some cases, patients are dying due to a delay in health care.

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