Financial Burden of Medical Care Among Veterans Aged 25–64, by Health Insurance Coverage: United States, 2019–2021
Examines financial burden for medical care among veterans aged 25–64 for those with VA health care alone and combined with different types of health insurance coverage. Table 1 includes data on VA health care and health insurance coverage for those in metropolitan and nonmetro areas.
Author(s): Robin A. Cohen, Peter Boersma
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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VA Health Care: Improved Data, Planning, and Communication Needed for Infrastructure Modernization and Realignment
Describes the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recommendations to modernize and realign its infrastructure. Examines the data that the VA used to inform its recommendations, any plans that VA has to improve such data, and the extent of the VA's planning to modernize and realign its infrastructure. Discusses rural-specific recommendations and compares data on facility closure and service line change recommendations by rurality.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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Rates of Primary Care and Integrated Mental Health Telemedicine Visits Between Rural and Urban Veterans Affairs Beneficiaries Before and After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Shares the results of a study examining changes over time in rural-urban differences in telemedicine use for primary care and mental health integration services among Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiaries. Uses data from 138 VA healthcare systems from March 2019 to December 2021. Features demographics and statistics with breakdowns by visit type and rural or urban area.
Author(s): Lucinda B. Leung, Caroline Yoo, Karen Chu, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(3)
Date: 03/2023
Type: Document
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Achieving Whole Health: A New Approach for Veterans and the Nation
Report offers guidance for providers both inside and outside of the VA for filling gaps in veterans healthcare. Discusses a team-based interprofessional care structure for preventing disease and promoting well-being. Highlights some considerations for providing a whole health approach for rural veterans as well.
Additional links: Read Online
Author(s): Board on Health Care Services
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Health and Medicine Division (HMD), National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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VA Mental Health: Additional Action Needed to Assess Rural Veterans' Access to Intensive Care
Report examines the rate at which the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Intensive Mental Health Care programs were being utilized in rural areas. Highlights the difference in the utilization rate of the inpatient, residential, and outpatient mental health programs for both rural and urban veterans. Makes suggestions for how the VHA can improve these rates going forward.
Additional links: Full Report
Date: 02/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Government Accountability Office
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A Novel Gap Staffing Metric for Primary Care in the Veterans Health Administration and Implications for Rural and Urban Clinics
Highlights a study on the metric for primary care provider staffing used by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) from 2017-2021. Explores the staffing gaps in rural versus urban areas based on the VHA's staffing metric.
Author(s): Amy M. J. O'Shea, Bjarni Haraldsson, Ariana F. Shahnazi, et al.
Citation: Journal of Ambulatory Care Management 46(1), 25-33
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Service Memorandum of Understanding - Annual Report, Fiscal Year 2022
Annual report details the accomplishments of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Indian Health Service (IHS) via their memorandum of understanding. Highlights the ways the VA and IHS have worked together to deliver healthcare to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans and discusses future collaborations.
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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Spatial Analysis of Access to Psychiatrists for US Military Personnel and Their Families
Examines the location and capacity of psychiatrists within a 30-minute driving time of TRICARE beneficiaries. Explores how geographic access to psychiatrists affects veteran TRICARE beneficiaries in rural and low-income communities. Breaks down community data by region, rural or urban status, and economic makeup, among other measures.
Author(s): Marigee Bacolod, Jennifer Heissel, Yu-Chu Shen
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(1), e2249314
Date: 01/2023
Type: Document
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Disparities in Virtual Cardiology Visits Among Veterans Health Administration Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Presents the results of a study to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic, during the first year, influenced the digital divide for patients using virtual and video-based care in Veterans Health Administration (VA) cardiology clinics across the U.S. Study examined sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, drive time to care, geographic location – rural and urban – and encounter type to determine changes in access to care by video, phone, and face-to-face.
Author(s): Rebecca L Tisdale, Jacqueline Ferguson, James Van Campen, et al.
Citation: JAMIA Open, 5(4)
Date: 12/2022
Type: Document
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Native American Veterans: Ensuring Access to VA Health Care and Benefits
Recording of a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discusses access to benefits and healthcare for American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. Features testimonies from representatives for the Indian Health Service, the Veterans Health Administration, the Blackfeet Veterans Alliance, the National Congress of American Indians, the National Indian Health Board, and National Council of Urban Indian Health.
Additional links: Larry Wright Jr. Testimony, Leo Pollock Testimony, Mark Upton Testimony, Nickolaus Lewis Testimony, Roselyn Tso Testimony, Sonya Tetnowski Testimony
Date: 11/2022
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate
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