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01-05-2019 | Care | Perspective

Coordinating Care Across VA Providers and Settings: Policy and Research Recommendations from VA’s State of the Art Conference

Authors: Kristina M. Cordasco, MD, MPH, MSHS, Susan M. Frayne, MD, MPH, Devan Kansagara, MD, MCR, Donna M. Zulman, MD, MS, Steven M. Asch, MD, MPH, Robert E. Burke, MD, MS, Edward P. Post, MD, PhD, Stephan D. Fihn, MD, MPH, Thomas Klobucar, PhD, Laurence J. Meyer, Susan R. Kirsh, MD, MPH, David Atkins, MD, MPH

Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine | Special Issue 1/2019

Abstract

Delivering well-coordinated care is essential for optimizing clinical outcomes, enhancing patient care experiences, minimizing costs, and increasing provider satisfaction. The Veterans Health Administration (VA) has built a strong foundation for internally coordinating care. However, VA faces mounting internal care coordination challenges due to growth in the number of Veterans using VA care, high complexity in Veterans’ care needs, the breadth and depth of VA services, and increasing use of virtual care. VA’s Health Services Research and Development service with the Office of Research and Development held a conference assessing the state-of-the-art (SOTA) on care coordination. One workgroup within the SOTA focused on coordination between VA providers for high-need Veterans, including (1) Veterans with multiple chronic conditions; (2) Veterans with high-intensity, focused, specialty care needs; (3) Veterans experiencing care transitions; (4) Veterans with severe mental illness; (5) and Veterans with homelessness and/or substance use disorders. We report on this workgroup’s recommendations for policy and organizational initiatives and identify questions for further research. Recommendations from a separate workgroup on coordinating VA and non-VA care are contained in a companion paper. Leaders from research, clinical services, and VA policy will need to partner closely as they develop, implement, assess, and spread effective practices if VA is to fully realize its potential for delivering highly coordinated care to every Veteran.

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Title: Coordinating Care Across VA Providers and Settings: Policy and Research Recommendations from VA’s State of the Art Conference
Authors: Kristina M. Cordasco, MD, MPH, MSHS
Susan M. Frayne, MD, MPH
Devan Kansagara, MD, MCR
Donna M. Zulman, MD, MS
Steven M. Asch, MD, MPH
Robert E. Burke, MD, MS
Edward P. Post, MD, PhD
Stephan D. Fihn, MD, MPH
Thomas Klobucar, PhD
Laurence J. Meyer
Susan R. Kirsh, MD, MPH
David Atkins, MD, MPH
Publication date: 01-05-2019
Publisher: Springer US
Keyword: Care
Published in: Journal of General Internal Medicine / Issue Special Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 0884-8734
Electronic ISSN: 1525-1497
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-04970-3

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Other articles of this Special Issue 1/2019

Improving Care Coordination for Veterans Within VA and Across Healthcare Systems

Effects of Intensive Primary Care on High-Need Patient Experiences: Survey Findings from a Veterans Affairs Randomized Quality Improvement Trial

Operationalizing an Implementation Framework to Disseminate a Care Coordination Program for Rural Veterans

Practical Use of Process Mapping to Guide Implementation of a Care Coordination Program for Rural Veterans

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