VA Expands Health-Care Access, Sets Up New Clinics

Washington, D.C. — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing plans to establish 39 community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), improving access to VA health care for veterans in underserved areas.

The expansion will bring to more than 100 the total number of CBOCs nationwide approved for development in the last two years. The clinics will assist VA in transitioning from a hospital-based system of care to a more efficient health-care system rooted in primary and ambulatory care.

Said Under Secretary for Health Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer, “Establishing these sites is critical to meeting the medical needs of veterans who because of their geographic location or medical condition are unable to travel to a VA medical center or other existing VA clinic.”

VA CBOCs include clinics in fixed or mobile locations, VA-funded clinics in Department of Defense or private health-care facilities or contractual arrangements with private health-care providers.

Kizer added, “We hope to establish 100 to 200 more community-based outpatient clinics in the next 18 to 24 months.”

The CBOCs have been established with existing resources. Savings resulting from parent facility efforts to find ways to do existing work more efficiently are being used to fund and staff the clinics.

These new clinics are beneficial to both the veteran and VA. For the veterans, shortened hospital stays, reduced travel distances, shortened waiting times for follow-up care and more timely attention to medical problems may result.

For VA, reduced contract care, shortened waiting times at medical center clinics by redirecting patients to CBOCs and reduced need for home health services may result. They are also expected to improve liaison with community agencies.

The Veterans’ Health Care Eligibility Reform Act of 1996 broadened VA’s contracting authority to enable the department to enter into contracts with non-VA health-care providers. This authority is being used to develop many CBOCs.