VA Healthcare-VISN 4
High Performance System - VISN 4 Results
High Performance System - VISN 4 Results
Care in the Community
When VA facilities and services are not available, VA may purchase care outside of VA for the Veteran, including inpatient, outpatient, emergent, and long-term care for eligible Veterans. Once non-VA medical care is authorized, Veterans may seek treatment from a provider in their community.
VA has used multiple programs to administer non-VA care, such as Patient-Centered Community Care and Preauthorized Care.
In August 2014, Congress enacted The Choice Act, which required VA to establish the Veterans Choice Program to address VA's health care access challenges. The program added another method for VA to purchase community care, but added complexity and confusion. However, VISN 4 continues to work with our third-party administrator, HealthNet, to utilize their resources and identify improvement opportunities to provide the best possible service to our Veterans.
During fiscal year 2016, VISN 4 staff coordinated 320 non-VA care obstetric care authorizations for pregnant Veterans.
Nationally in fiscal year 2016, there were more than 3.5 million authorizations for community care, about 2 million of which were completed through the Choice program.
In April 2016, VA facilities were given the authority to establish and use agreements with community providers when the third-party administrators are unable to schedule for services timely or the needed services are not covered in the Choice contract. All VISN 4 medical centers continue to work with providers in their local communities to expand our provider networks. Currently in VISN 4, we have more than a thousand provider agreements.
In October 2015, VA submitted a proposal to Congress to consolidate and streamline existing community care programs into one, which, if approved, would be implemented locally with national oversight.
Along with all of these programs, VA aims to be a leader in developing innovative solutions with strategic partners for care coordination. Care coordination is the organization and communication of patient care and information among all participants involved (patient, family, provider, specialist). Care coordination is complex and information intensive, requiring a cohesive approach to achieve positive health care outcomes. VA will ensure care coordination is a seamless and effective tool for Veterans and their families, VA, and community providers.
VA Voluntary Service Brightens Holidays for Veterans
All donations to VA medical centers nationwide must be processed by VA Voluntary Service – and December is their busiest month! During December 2015, a grand total of $950,266 in gifts and donations were processed by Voluntary Service in VISN 4, almost 25% of the entire year's total value of gifts and donations ($4,091,234).
VA Voluntary Service has provided more than 70 years of service to America's Veterans seeking care in VA health care facilities. It is impossible to calculate the amount of caring and sharing that these VAVS volunteers, a priceless asset to Veterans and VA, provide.
At Coatesville VA Medical Center's Residential Rehabilitation Program, volunteers from the Transportation Management Association of Chester County and the local community collected gifts for Veterans enrolled in the program. The second annual gift drive collected more than 700 gifts, such as kitchenware and bedding, for Veterans who are getting a fresh start through the Veterans Multi-Service Center's Permanent Housing Program.
For more information on how to volunteer or donate in VISN 4, please visit www.visn4.va.gov/giving.
Rehab & Prosthetics
Last year, 37% of all Veterans treated in VISN 4 saw a rehabilitation care provider and 54% of Veterans seen received prosthetic and sensory aids items and services. VISN 4 obligated $121,565,260 to provide 589,735 medically prescribed devices and items to more than 144,334 Veterans.
Medical Research (and a million Veterans)
VA is one of the nation's leaders in health research. Thousands of studies are conducted at VA medical centers, outpatient clinics, and nursing homes each year. This research has significantly contributed to advancements in health care for Veterans and other Americans from every walk of life. One of these studies is the nation's largest genomic biobank: the Million Veteran Program (MVP).
The Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System are recruiting Veterans for the MVP research project, which is aimed at improving health care for future Veterans. To participate, enrolled Veterans provide a blood sample and are asked a series of lifestyle questions. The program is completely voluntary and the data collect is stored anonymously.
Research using MVP data is already underway, studying a range of medical issues like mental illness and heart and kidney diseases. MVP also has rich data on various health conditions that are common in Veterans. Approximately 62% of MVP enrollees report a current or past diagnosis of high blood pressure and about a third report tinnitus. Also, nearly 32% of Veterans present with a history or current diagnosis of cancer.
For more information on how the program, including how to enroll, call 866-441-6075 or visit www.research.va.gov/MVP.
Vet Center Program
VISN 4 supports 17 Vet Centers, which provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to combat Veterans, active duty service members, and their families, as well as any Veteran who was sexually traumatized while serving in the military. Additionally, Vet Centers can now treat combat Veterans regardless of discharge type, and will provide referrals for assistance with requesting a discharge upgrade. All services are free of cost and are strictly confidential. And, with the help of mobile Vet Centers, their services are practically being brought to the Veteran's doorstep.
State Partnerships
Enhancing strategic partnerships, an ongoing and paramount effort throughout VA, allows the Department to extend the reach of services available for Veterans and their families. Strong partnerships with our colleagues at the state level are vital for providing our nation's heroes with the care and services they have earned and deserve.
Staff throughout the VISN 4 network collaborate frequently and closely with many Pennsylvania County Veterans Affairs Directors in ways such as participating in both network- and facility-level workgroups, maintain open dialogue to troubleshoot and solve issues for Veterans, and serving on newly established community Veterans engagement boards.
VISN 4 employees work closely with Pennsylvania and Delaware employees to successfully continue bringing a federal grant to our network for state Veterans homes. By ensuring that state Veterans homes provide care that reflects the standard of care that we strive for in the Veterans Health Administration, we ensure that these eight homes continue to receive per diem payments for all Veterans they house. In VISN 4, each state Veteran home has an appointed representative at the nearest VA medical center to ensure productive dialogue and compliance with all policies.
Additionally, the Veterans Justice Partnership, a unique collaboration between VA and the Pennsylvania Justice System, aims to get former service members the treatment they need as an alternative to incarceration. Working together with local courts, VA staff connects Veterans with resources to help them combat the problems at the root of their legal troubles, such as behavioral health, substance abuse or other reintegration issues.
VISN 4's Health Care for Re-entry Veterans program works closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to promote success and prevent homelessness among Veterans returning to the community following incarceration. Program staff works closely with the State Veteran Service Units at state correctional institutions.
By the Numbers
| Volunteers | Youth Volunteers | Volunteer Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altoona | 264 | 12 | 32,926 |
| Butler | 331 | 8 | 34,421 |
| Coatesville | 716 | 269 | 55,107 |
| Erie | 605 | 54 | 74,068 |
| Lebanon | 351 | 38 | 48,734 |
| Philadelphia | 525 | 121 | 43,043 |
| Pittsburgh | 718 | 131 | 106,905 |
| Wilkes-Barre | 518 | 52 | 48,110 |
| Wilmington | 305 | 19 | 41,966 |
| VISN 4 Total | 4,333 | 704 | 485,280 |
| Investigators | Projects | Funding | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coatesville | 26 | 25 | $41,000+ |
| Philadelphia | 109 | 230 | $13.2 million |
| Pittsburgh | 113 | 343 | $30.3 million |
| Wilkes-Barre | 6 | 5 | $0 |
| VISN 4 Total | 254 | 603 | Nearly $43.6 million |
