Alternate Gender Bids

By default, VA requests are entered as “gender preferred” for the gender of the patient. I.e., male patients have their requests entered as “male preferred” and female patients have their requests entered a “female preferred.” 

If a bid is submitted by the opposite gender the handsfree system will have a long delay before booking it (about a day if the first requested date is same-day, but 6 days if the first requested date is next-day or beyond), so we should confirm alternate gender therapists if the bid has been sitting for several hours. In many of the locations with just a handful of therapists, it’s very unlikely that a “preferred” gender therapist will respond and it’s better for the therapist and patient to get confirmations more quickly.