On a satisfaction
scale of 1-100, VA hospitals and clinics had an American
Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) score of 79. That's better than
the ASCI of comparable private sector organizations that scored 71.9
overall. And, while everyone agrees that VA must still make additional
improvements, 80 percent of those surveyed are more satisfied with the
VA's reinvented, customer-oriented medical services than they were just
two years ago.
"[Visiting a VA medical facility] used to be an all-day affair," said Jim Sargent, after he visited the North County Veterans Affairs Clinic in October 1999. "[Before] if I came in at 9:00 a.m., I wouldn't expect to leave until 5:00 p.m., which stuck me right in the middle of rush hour traffic. [When the North County Clinic opened], it was a godsend…These people are so doggone nice and accommodating that you leave the doctor's office with a good taste in your mouth."
VA officials are pleased. "The results of this survey confirm…that [reinvention] changes have led to better health care and greater satisfaction among the veterans we serve," said Dr. THomas L. Garthwaite, Acting Under Secretary for Health. "This survey gives us solid information as we plan further improvements in VA health care for veterans," he added.
What else is new in
VA health care? Check out just a few recent advances:
| VA is a recognized leader in such specialties as spinal cord injuries, prosthetics, blind rehabilitation, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). |
| VA introduced a new healthcare benefits plan for veterans that provides for easier access to more services at VA facilities |
| VA introduced new initiatives in combating Hepatitis C, including two new Centers of Excellence in Miami and San Francisco. |
| VA developed new strategies for providing long-term care for elderly veterans without reducing the number of beds open to serve them. |
| VA more than tripled the number of medical centers with Department of Defense managed-care support contracts, from 15 to 52, just since 1996. At the end of 1999, VA had approved TriCare contracts involving 138 medical centers. |
| VA established the Center for Women Veterans (CWV) to assess and improve VA's delivery of services to women veterans. The CWV participates in and promotes improvements to women veterans' programs by integrating clinical care, education outreach, and research on women's issues. |
| VA established eight comprehensive women veterans' health centers, four stress-disorder treatment centers for women veterans, a national counseling program at VA medical centers and readjustment counseling for sexual trauma victims, and other services assuring gender-specific care for women. |
