VA Health Care: Further Action Needed to Address Weaknesses in Management and Oversight of Non-VA Medical Care

Abstract

GAO s May 2013 report on the oversight and management of the Non-VA Medical Care Program found that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) does not collect data on wait times veterans face in obtaining care from non-VA providers. The lack of data on wait times limits VA s efforts to effectively oversee the Non-VA Medical Care Program because it is not possible for VA to determine if veterans who receive care from non-VA providers are receiving that care sooner than they would in VA facilities. In addition, GAO found that VA cannot assess the cost-effectiveness of non-VA medical care because it cannot analyze data on all services and charges for an episode of care, which is a combined total of all care provided to a veteran during a single office visit or inpatient stay. As a result, VA cannot determine whether delivering care through non-VA providers is more cost-effective than augmenting its own capacity in areas with high utilization of non-VA medical care.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 18, 2014
Accession Number
ADA604870

Entities

People

  • Randall B. Williamson

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Congress
  • Cost Effectiveness
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Electronic Mail
  • Geographic Regions
  • Governments
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • House Of Representatives
  • Law
  • Materials
  • Medical Personnel
  • Pain
  • Rehabilitation
  • United States
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Political science

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Personnel Management and Statistics in the Military and Department of Defense