The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 services. It’s the nation’s largest built-in well being care system.

Charles Dharapak/AP

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Charles Dharapak/AP

The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 services. It’s the nation’s largest built-in well being care system.

Charles Dharapak/AP

A nationwide Medicare survey launched at the moment discovered that veterans rated Veterans Affairs hospitals greater than personal well being care services in all 10 classes of affected person satisfaction.

The VA takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 services — the nation’s largest built-in well being care system. Regardless of many broadly publicized scandals, VA well being care has been constantly rated as aggressive with personal care in dozens of peer-reviewed articles.

“I strongly imagine that the VA is the best choice for veteran care. Examine after examine exhibits that high quality and affected person security is a minimum of pretty much as good if not higher than our personal sector counterparts,” mentioned Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA undersecretary for well being.

This most up-to-date survey, generally known as HCAHPS (Hospital Client Evaluation of Healthcare Suppliers and Techniques), confirmed that the VA beat out personal services in all of the classes surveyed, reminiscent of affected person satisfaction, hospital cleanliness and communication with nurses and docs.

“This presents among the many first alternatives to instantly evaluate us with our personal sector counterparts, and we’re actually pleased with the outcomes however we cannot be content material till 100% of hospitals are pinging in the correct rankings,” Elnahal informed NPR.

Favorably evaluating with the personal sector is essential for the VA, as a result of Congress has expanded the VA’s use of personal care as an choice when vets have to attend too lengthy or journey too far for a VA appointment. Non-public care is rather more costly for the VA.

Republicans in Congress, who typically assist larger use of personal care, have even accused the VA of obstructing it. Most lately, Home Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost wrote to VA Secretary Denis McDonough about what he known as his “full frustration with the Veterans Well being Administration’s lack of well timed motion to supply group care to veterans that … are in dire want of well timed care.”

“I hope you share my frustration. These roadblocks don’t serve veterans nicely and we should do higher,” Bost wrote.