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VA Faces Challenges in Planning for and Using Its Resources Effectively

• VA is one of the largest health providers in the world, but its workforce and facility capacity may not be sufficient to provide timely care to veterans across a number of key specialties, as well as primary care.
• Purchased care offers one solution to these limitations, but VA faces challenges in managing this option.
• Accelerated hiring and productivity increases, aided by technology, will be necessary if VA is to meet an anticipated increase in demand for care over the next five years.

Some Veterans Face Barriers to Accessing VA Health Care in a Timely Manner

• The vast majority of veterans live within 40 miles of VA care but actual geographic access varies according to the access standard used and by region and type of service.
• According to VA standards, most veterans do not face long waits for care, but there is considerable variation in timeliness across facilities. VA patients report that they are less likely than private-sector patients to get appointments as soon as needed.
• VA's timeliness standard is much less demanding than the standards used in the private sector.

The Quality of VA Care Is Good Overall, but Performance Varies Across Facilities

• VA outpatient care outperformed non-VA outpatient care on almost all quality measures. VA hospitals performed the same or better than non-VA hospitals on most inpatient quality measures, but worse on others.
• Although most VA facilities maintain high levels of quality, there is variation across facilities, with best practices not universally identified or adopted.