全球智库信息集成服务系统

Key Findings

• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patient costs vary from one region to another because of patient characteristics and other factors that are largely outside the control of the regional directors.
• An important influence on patient costs is the health status of the patient population and how the amounts allocated for each patient’s care are adjusted accordingly. In response to RAND’s recommendation, the VA implemented a more refined patient classification system.
• Some regional factors thought to contribute to increased patient care costs, such as weather extremes and the infrastructure characteristics of facilities where veterans receive care, were not important.