VA Health System Outperforms Other Health Providers
June 06, 2018
Jim Fausone, Esq.
RAND Corporation conducted a study comparing 135 VA health facilities to other health systems with similar characteristics. The VA systems graded similarly or better in the majority of categories analyzed. While the VA facilities performed well, the results also indicated a high amount of variation between individual facilities. Some facilities care for older and sicker patients on average, which is likely a contributor to the disparity. Although the variation in the VA facilities was found to be smaller than in non-VA systems, the results clearly indicate the need for targeted quality measures to ensure patients are receiving consistent care throughout the VA Health System.
RAND researchers compared the level of outpatient and inpatient care by using nationally recognized performance measures reported from previous studies. This information includes the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set, and the Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Veterans. The study cites the mostly favorable results by category of the VA facilities compared to other health systems.
“The VA hospitals performed the same or significantly better than non-VA hospitals on all six measures of inpatient safety, all three measures of inpatient mortality and 12 measures of the effectiveness of inpatient care. The VA hospitals performed significantly worse on three readmission measures and two effectiveness measures.”
While the results of the study are mostly positive for the VA, there are always improvements to be made in order to ensure veterans are properly cared for. The study did not examine the various issues relating to accessing care and the often difficult and lengthy process to receive care at a VA facility in the first place. Nevertheless, a step in the right direction for the VA Health System.
What improvements would you like the VA to focus on to ensure the health system continues to provide superior patient care?