Veteran trust in VA health care rises above 90 percent for the first time

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today released survey results showing Veteran trust in VA health care outpatient services has increased more than 5% since 2017, reaching 90.1% as of April 12.

VA received surveys from 4,030,438 Veterans since June 2017 to the present via the Veterans Signals customer feedback program which asks Veterans about their care experience and to rate their trust in VA.

“These improvements are a testament to not only VA’s investment in patient experience programs but also the dedication of our employees.” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “Even during a pandemic, our VA team has continued its steadfast commitment to delivering the highest quality care for our nation’s Veterans.”

This delivery of quality care reflects VA’s priority mission of customer service and its goal to ensure a positive patient experience. In the past three years, more than 95,000 Veterans Health Administration employees have been trained on VA’s customer experience training program called Own the Moment. VA has also implemented programs like Red Coat Ambassadors nationwide to improve the Veteran’s navigation of care facilities across the country. Initiatives such as VA Patient Experience Week (April 27-May 1) share best practices in culture changing patient experience tools, technology and training with institutions and providers across the country.

According to the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS), the results of these and other improvements, has been an increase in the VA patient experience by 4% in the past four years while private sector’s national average has increased by only 1%.

Since the VA began offering Veterans the option to respond to Veteran Signals surveys with free-text feedback, 68% (918,873) of their comments have been complimentary, 18.9% (255,351) have been concerns and 13.3% (179.902) are recommendations. VA uses this feedback at the national, regional and local levels to make improvements in the way VA provides care and services.