Comparison of Quality of Care in VA and Non-VA Settings
Investigators: Paul G Shekelle, MD, PhD, Steven Asch, MD, MPH, Peter Glassman, MBBS, MSc, Sierra Matula, MD, Amal Trivedi, MD, MPH, and Isomi Miake-Lye, BA.
Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs; September 2010.
Download PDF: Complete Report, Executive Summary, Report, Appendices
Summary / Overview
It remains unclear where the Veterans Health Administration (VA) finds itself in the spectrum of care currently available in the United States. The quality of care provided by the VA has been subject to debate since, and well before, the VA’s system transformation starting in the mid-90s. Media and entertainment vehicles have, rightly or wrongly, not infrequently portrayed VA care in less than optimal light, although there have been notable exceptions. Regardless of media views, the VA has established itself as an innovative healthcare system, including implementation of its advanced electronic medical record, with broad clinical and educational missions.
The immediate objective of this project is to conduct a systematic literature review of the published literature comparing the quality of medical and surgical care provided by the VA to relevant non-VA healthcare facilities and systems.
In this systematic literature review, the following key question was addressed:
See also
A Synthesis of the Evidence: Comparing Care in VA vs. Non-VA Settings (VA HSR&D Management e-Brief)
Triveldi AN, Matula S, Miake-Lye I, Glassman PA, Shekelle P, Asch S. Systematic Review: Comparison of the Quality of Medical Care in VA and Non-VA Settings. Med Care. 2011 Jan;49(1):76-88. Review.
Matula SR, Trivedi AN, Miake-Lye I, Glassman PA, Shekelle P, Asch S. Comparisons of Quality of Surgical Care Between the US Department of Veterans Affairs and the Private Sector. J Am Coll Surg. 2010 Dec;211(6):823-32. No abstract available.