The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 amenities. It’s the nation’s largest built-in well being care system.
Charles Dharapak/AP
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Charles Dharapak/AP
The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 amenities. It’s the nation’s largest built-in well being care system.
Charles Dharapak/AP
A nationwide Medicare survey launched at the moment discovered that veterans rated Veterans Affairs hospitals greater than non-public well being care amenities in all 10 classes of affected person satisfaction.
The VA takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 amenities — the nation’s largest built-in well being care system. Regardless of many broadly publicized scandals, VA well being care has been constantly rated as aggressive with non-public care in dozens of peer-reviewed articles.
“I strongly consider that the VA is the most suitable choice for veteran care. Examine after research exhibits that high quality and affected person security is not less than pretty much as good if not higher than our non-public sector counterparts,” mentioned Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA undersecretary for well being.
This most up-to-date survey, referred to as HCAHPS (Hospital Shopper Evaluation of Healthcare Suppliers and Methods), confirmed that the VA beat out non-public amenities in all of the classes surveyed, resembling affected person satisfaction, hospital cleanliness and communication with nurses and medical doctors.
“This presents among the many first alternatives to instantly examine us with our non-public sector counterparts, and we’re actually proud of the outcomes however we cannot be content material till 100% of hospitals are pinging in the suitable scores,” Elnahal instructed NPR.
Favorably evaluating with the non-public sector is essential for the VA, as a result of Congress has expanded the VA’s use of personal care as an choice when vets have to attend too lengthy or journey too far for a VA appointment. Personal care is far more costly for the VA.
Republicans in Congress, who typically assist better use of personal care, have even accused the VA of obstructing it. Most just lately, Home Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost wrote to VA Secretary Denis McDonough about what he known as his “full frustration with the Veterans Well being Administration’s lack of well timed motion to supply neighborhood care to veterans that … are in dire want of well timed care.”
“I hope you share my frustration. These roadblocks don’t serve veterans nicely and we should do higher,” Bost wrote.
