by Bill Maddick
VETERAN ’ S CORNER
Improvements in VA Health Care
In wake of all the negative publicity that the VA health system has garnered in recent years ( veterans dying while waiting for appointments , delays and lawsuits against the new hospital construction , fudging records of veteran appointments , backlog of claims , etc ), it shouldn ’ t be a surprise that the VA has been doing all it can to improve their image . Sadly , none of the VA ’ s upper level management has ever been disciplined or convicted for any of these failures , rather they always seem to just get transferred somewhere else . The remarkable improvements can be directly attributed to the nurses , doctors and staff on the floor along with a willingness of the VA to actively seek patient and community input . Just as a medic would cover a wounded soldier with his own body under fire while administering first aid on the field , the doctors , nurses and staff of the VA system are showing the same courage in implementing change for our veterans in the face of adversity .
During a conference of the Association of Health Care Journalists , held in Cleveland on April 8t h , Dr . David Shulkin , the VA ’ s Undersecretary for Health , announced the following measures ; “ We are working to rebuild the trust of the American public and more importantly the trust of the Veterans whom we are proud to serve ,” Dr . Shulkin continued ; “ We are taking action and are seeing the results . We are serious about our work to improve access to health care for our nation ’ s Veterans . We want them to know that this is a new VA .” In particular , Dr Shulkin outlined a new initiative called “ MyVA Access ,” as a top priority for the Veterans Health Administration ( VHA ), which was introduced by VA Secretary Robert McDonald in 2014 .
MyVA Access is a declaration from VHA employees ( doctors , nurses & staff ) to the Veterans they care for . It is a call to action and the reaffirmation of their core mission to provide quality care to Veterans and to offer care as soon as possible to Veterans how and where they desire to receive that care . The initiative ensures that the entire VA health care system is involved in the transformation of the VA into a Veteran-centered service organization . The plan incorporates some ambitious goals such as same day access to mental health and primary care services when it is medically necessary . As a practicing physician , Dr . Shulkin currently sees Veterans needing same-day appointments at the VA Medical Center in Manhattan . At present , 34 VA facilities offer same-day appointments . The VA is hoping to be able to offer same day appointments when it is medically necessary at all of its medical centers by the end of 2016 .
Dr . Shulkin also introduced a new smart phone app called the Veteran Appointment Request App . This app allows Veterans to view , schedule and cancel primary care and mental health appointments , track the
status of an appointment request and review upcoming appointments . It is currently available in 10 locations and has received positive feedback from the vast majority of Veterans using the app . The VA expects to make the app available to all Veterans by early 2017 .
Other efforts underway include a website enhancement that will allow Veterans to check wait times in real time where ever they live--this includes new and existing patients and a new , easy-to-use scheduling software program . The new program is being piloted at 10 sites and is expected to reduce scheduling errors and enhance the VA ’ s ability to measure and track supply , demand and usage .
As a disabled veteran who receives health care from the VA here in Denver , I ’ ve observed the following initiatives :
The implementation of Telehealth . This is a conference call , generally between a remote location and a health care center , used to diagnose when a doctor may not be present with the veteran . In 2015 , the VA reported 2.14 million Telehealth visits covering 677,000 veterans .
An increase in outpatient clinic locations . Increased clinic locations including the Golden location ( the one closest to me ) is one of the small additions of the 2.2 million square feet of outpatient clinical support facilities the VA added in 2015 .
Implementation of the Veterans Choice Program . The Veterans Choice program allows veterans to select care in the private sector if they can ’ t schedule an appointment with their regular provider . There were 3 million authorizations for Veterans Choice visits in 2015 .
This doesn ’ t mean that other initiatives haven ’ t been incorporated here locally , but these are the ones which I can speak of through my personal experience or those of others .
In my opinion , the key ingredient to these improvements is the MyVA commitment of VA employees to the veterans they care for . This hasn ’ t been some top-down executive mandate intended to garner press reports and present only as a public image that we ’ ve been conditioned to accept all too often ( our new VA hospital debacle being a case in point ). Rather , these initiatives have been designed and implemented from the ground floor up .
During the Vietnam conflict , 15 Army medics and 4 Navy corpsmen received the Medal of Honor . That kind of valor is still alive and well on the floor of VA clinics and hospitals throughout the nation . It is the doctors , nurses and administrative staff , who interface with veterans daily that have taken the initiative to improve the care veterans receive . It is their commitment to us , in the face of a difficult environment , that is making a difference .
www . thunderroadscolorado . com June 2016 Thunder Roads Magazine ® Colorado 29