Secretary Nicholson: Second Accolade for VA from Prestigious School
WASHINGTON – A comprehensive study by Harvard Medical School concludes that federal hospitals, including those run by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), provide the best care available anywhere for some of the most common life-threatening illnesses.
“This recognition by Harvard should assure veterans of the quality of VA’s world-class health care system,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Veterans have earned only the best. And we can prove that’s exactly what VA is providing.”
The study was published December 11 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal for health care professionals. Researchers looked at congestive heart failure, heart attack and pneumonia across the health care industry and found that patients in federal facilities are more likely to receive high-quality care than those in for-profit hospitals.
Dr. Michael J. Kussman, VA’s Acting Under Secretary for Health, said the report is the latest example of VA setting standards for health care in the United States.
“This study further demonstrates that VA is providing high quality health care to veterans,” Dr. Kussman said. “Our computerized system of electronic health records and performance measurement means that veterans are getting the top-level care and treatment they have earned through service to our country.”
The study found that hospitals operated by the federal government and the military received higher performance ratings than other hospitals studied. A large percentage of federal hospitals are operated by VA.
“This suggests that lessons learned from (VA’s) decades-long experience in quality improvement deserve further study,” said Dr. Bruce Landon of Harvard, the study’s lead author.
The study assessed the quality of care for congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction – commonly referred to as heart attack — and pneumonia in more than 4,000 hospitals in the United States.
The Harvard Medical School study is the latest recognition of the high quality of VA health care. In 2006, VA received a prestigious “Innovations in American Government” Award from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government for its advanced electronic health records and performance measurement system.
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