Despite vocal complaints by some veterans caught in bureaucratic red tape, the reality is that hospitals within the Veterans Health Administration system are safer, more efficient and more technologically advanced than their counterparts in the private sector. One primary reason for this could be their system of electronic health records that reduce medication errors and support continuity of care.
In 2006, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) threw a right hook at the United States healthcare system when they reported on the high instance of errors injuring or even killing patients. The VA found itself actually earning praise from the IOM specifically where medication-specific errors were concerned. Under the VA system, clinicians scan barcodes first on the patient’s bracelet and then on the packaged medication. If the drug type or dosage is incorrect, the caregiver is alerted instantly, aborting the administration of the medication.
The VA was one of few federal agencies not under fire following Hurricane Katrina. Thanks to integrated medical records, patient information from New Orleans was easily transferred to other VA facilities. While other hospitals fumbled to gather and disseminate patient records before and after the storm, clinicians at the VA focused on patient care.
This is a far cry from the early 90s when Congress considered eliminating government-run veterans’ healthcare by providing vouchers for use in the private sector. According to Time Magazine, a transformation occurred when President Bill Clinton appointed Kenneth Kizer, a doctor and former Navy Diver to the VA’s undersecretary of health. Under Kizer, VA healthcare was decentralized and electronic health records were integrated.
The question for the crystal ball is how the veterans of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan will impact VA healthcare. World War II and Korean War veterans are beginning to pass away naturally, but as Jonathan B. Perlin, former Under Secretary for Health in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs was fond of saying, “We are not your father’s VA.” Due to increasing technologies like body armor, more soldiers are surviving combat but living with injuries of increased severity. Post-truamatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems are also emerging issues that will test the VA’s delivery system.
According to research published by Linda Bilmes at Harvard University, “the Veterans Health Administration is already overwhelmed by the volume of returning veterans and the seriousness of their health care needs, and it will not be able to provide a high quality of care in a timely fashion to the large wave of returning war veterans without greater funding and increased capacity in areas such as psychiatric care.”
A shout out to the VA is in order for vastly improving their healthcare system, but the celebration cannot last for too long. Continuous change will be necessary to accommodate the next generation of veterans and much room for improvement remains, particularly in easing transitions between the Department of Defense and the VA systems.
Related Stories:
[+] New study shows support for electronic health records
[+] White House trying to shape Bush’s legacy regarding veterans
