Health Care Executive Summary

In order to make sure the VA is providing the best care to veterans and their families the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has a performance and accountability report (PAR). PAR provides results on VA’s progress towards providing America’s Veterans with the best in benefits and health care. The goal of this report is to show how well the VA has done in providing care as well as forward-thinking strategies that are used in order to achieve and maintain excellence. Another plan that is in place to provide the best care is the VA FY 2014-2020 Strategic Plan. This plan uses past successful programs to promote further improvements in quality, customer service, preparedness, and management systems. This program also emphasis the clients right

This type of care is referred to as client centered care, which is to put the Veteran and their goals, not the disease, at the center of care (The Department of Veteran Affairs, 2011). According to Bertakis and Azari (2011), “Patient-centered care is associated with decreased utilization of health care services and lower total annual charges. Reduced annual medical care charges may be an important outcome of medical visits that are patient-centered”. The VA used an evidenced based model referred to as the "Elements of Patient Centered Care" This model is based on a holistic approach and is encompassed of both the experience of having a healing environment and relationship, as well as practice, which uses an individualized health and well- being

One of the most used resources used is the veteran’s crisis line, which is a referral service for veterans and their families. The crisis line service helps provides resources through a confidential toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. Other referral sources used at the VA include, women’s veteran call center, care giver support, and National Call Center for Homeless Veterans. Along with these different call centers for veterans, mental health professionals use services within the VA to refer the clients to. Again, as previously stated, the VA used a whole-centered approach and veterans treatment at the VA usually consists of many different programs and professionals working together to come up with a treatment plan that is addressing the needs of the veteran.

Even though the VA has many different mental health programs, the VA also uses other resources to provide adequate care to veterans and their families. One veteran service that isn’t associated with the VA is the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). IAVA (2014) is veteran empowerment organization that is committed to improving the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families by addressing critical issues facing new veterans, including mental health, the VA system, health care for female veterans, and GI Bill education