The VA Model

Responding to a fellow doctor's criticism of the Veterans' Affairs (VA)Department health care on ModernHealthcare.com, Dr. Thomas Garthwaite, former under secretary for health for the VA, cites a book by Phillip Longman, Best Care Anywhere: Why VA Health Care is Better Than Yours. The book describes a dramatic transformation in healthcare practices that took place at the agency, beginning in 1995. Dr. Garthwaite points out that "the clinical information technology platform for the VA is consistently lauded as among the best for delivering comprehensive patient care."