Quality outcomes management: Veterans Affairs case study

During the last decade, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made major strides in enhancing quality of medical, surgical, and mental health care for veterans. These improvements have been achieved through the will and commitment of VA leadership and by changes in the administrative structure, such as through the creation of Veteran Integrated Service Networks and patient care service lines, the use of state-of-the-art technology for electronic health records, implementation of high-value preventative and chronic disease management performance measures, and the ability to track their effectiveness. Parallel with these changes, the quality of mental heath care in the VA has also improved, as have mental health education and research.