By the Numbers - July 15, 2013

By the Numbers - July 15, 2013

6 Million
Roughly, the number of veterans who obtain "medical, surgical, and rehabilitative care" annually from the Veterans Health Administration, out of 22 million who are eligible, according to a recent RAND Corporation Report -- Health Care Spending and Efficiency in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  The VHA comprises 152 hospitals, 800 community-based outpatient clinics, and 126 nursing homes, according to the report, which represents just a small fraction of the overall U.S. health care system, which includes some 5,000 hospitals. The report points out:

While relatively flexible, any system of providers and facilities can only respond so quickly to changing population needs. For example, effective treatment for the exponential rise in mental health and TBI cases among veterans requires an array of providers, including mental health professionals. Attempting to address those needs, amidst complaints over delays in treatment, the President issued an Executive Order that instructed the VA to work aggressively with all appropriate tools to hire, train, and place 1,600 mental health professionals by June 30, 2013. Yet even if that goal were achieved, meeting the full range of needs in this population necessarily involves both VHA and non-VHA institutions (including the Department of Defense and community-based provider organizations), despite the coordination challenges this may present.