"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan" (Abraham Lincoln): the Department of Veterans Affairs polytrauma system of care.

Culture change matters more than technological change, US healthcare expert tells integrated care summit.

Integrating health and social care more closely should be seen as a sociological rather than technological challenge, says the US doctor who deployed electronic health records for hospital and clinics serving US veterans. When Kenneth Kizer took over as head of the Department for Veterans Affairs in 1994, the staff was demoralised by the federal bureaucracy’s risk averse and punitive culture. P...

The Veterans Administration and Academic Surgery

The Committee on Issues has, for several reasons, thought it important to examine the relationships between the Veterans Administration (VA) and academic surgery. This topic had been suggested a number of times at previous meetings of the Association for Academic Surgery. Many of the members of the Committee are currently working, or have worked, in the VA system. Finally, a number of ongoing e...

"...to care for him who shall have borne the battle" - the Veterans Administration today.

Health care at the VA: recommendations for change.

The current controversy surrounding Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers has reached national concern, with Congress enacting new law in a matter of weeks. Disturbing reports are emerging daily of VA facilities keeping double sets of appointment books and a report recently released fromtheOfficeof the Inspector General described one VA as claiming that its veteran patients’ averagewait time fo...

Lessons Learned.

I feel privileged to write a commentary for Mr Jepson’s First Person Account. As a psychiatrist in the US Navy Reserve, I offer my support to the service men and women who protect our country. In my civilian job at the Veterans Health Administration, I try and do the same for our Military Veterans. I was struck by Mr Jepson’s observation that he is fighting for his recovery. In the military, af...