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Features: Health Care Use Among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans With Infectious Diseases
Deborah D Dougherty1, Seung-Eun Lee1, Vincent P Fonseca1
1is the deputy director, was the chief consultant (retired), and Dr. Ishii is a research health scientist, all at the VHA Office of Public Health, Post-Deployment Health Group, Epidemiology Program, in Washington, DC. is a senior epidemiologist and is a statistical programmer, both at Lockheed Martin in Fairfax, Virginia. is the director of Medical Informatics and is a project manager, both at Intellica Corporation in San Antonio, Texas.
Streamlining the qualification process for veterans with presumptive infectious diseases did not increase their use of health care services. This finding suggests other barriers may limit access to veteran health care.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Public Health Policy
- Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Background:
- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established a presumptive infectious disease determination to simplify healthcare access.
- Previous research indicates potential disparities in healthcare utilization among veteran populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a streamlined presumptive infectious disease determination process on healthcare service utilization by qualified veterans.
- To identify factors influencing healthcare access for veterans with infectious diseases.
Main Methods:
- A comparative analysis of healthcare service usage data before and after the implementation of the streamlined determination process.
- Statistical methods were employed to assess changes in utilization rates among eligible veteran cohorts.
Main Results:
- No significant increase in healthcare service utilization was observed among veterans who qualified under the streamlined process.
- The simplified qualification pathway did not alter the rate at which veterans accessed VA health services.
Conclusions:
- Streamlining the administrative process for presumptive infectious diseases did not, in itself, enhance healthcare service uptake among veterans.
- Further investigation is needed to understand and address potential non-financial or non-administrative barriers to veteran healthcare access.
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