Quality Initiatives Undertaken by the Veterans Health Administration
"With the return of veterans who have served in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan
and with a much larger number of veterans from earlier eras who are turning to the
Department of Veterans Affairs for at least a portion of their health care, the department is
now treating more than 5 million veterans each year. Many observers have suggested that the
quality of care in the veterans’ health system has been bolstered by concerted efforts to track
performance measures, expand the use of health information technology, manage chronic
diseases, coordinate care by different providers, and enhance the provision of evidence-based
medical practices. The lessons learned by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) may
have implications for other components of the nation’s health care system.

In response to requests from the Chairmen of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and
the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies of the
House Committee on Appropriations, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has prepared
this assessment of quality improvement, cost and utilization of services, and health information
technology in the Veterans Health Administration. It examines VHA’s experience with
quality improvement and health information technology. The assessment also aims to
improve understanding of how VHA’s system serves its patients. That information may prove
useful as decisionmakers consider how veterans’ health care might be affected by proposals for
health care reform. In keeping with CBO’s mandate to provide impartial analysis, this paper
makes no recommendations..."