Revisiting the Achievements of the Veterans Health Administration

Back in 2005, Phillip Longman wrote an article in the Washington Monthly, touting the strides the Veterans Administration had made in improving quality.  Since then, it has become the model for a fair number of reformers, who frequently cite its ability to control costs and coordinate care as proof that we should move towards such a system nationwide.

I was thus interested to learn that the Congressional Budget Office had issued a report on the VA's quality initiatives.  I've been meaning to get around to reading it for weeks, but I've been sidetracked by other things.  (To judge by an internet search, I'm not alone; few people seem to have blogged or linked to it.)  But I finally have, and I think I can say two things definitively:  the report suggests that the VA really has made outstanding improvements in the quality of care they deliver.  And the report also suggests that the VA does not represent any sort of workable model for the US health care system.