The future of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system
Article Abstract:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system reform may maintain the agency's assets, improve its weaknesses, and steer it into the future. The VA is recognized for its rehabilitative and long-term care services, support for medical education, ability to perform large-scale cooperative studies, and readiness for national emergencies. Unfortunately, VA hospitals are often perceived as old, crowded facilities that are staffed with uncaring professionals. The agency's mission lacks clarity, patients tend to be very ill, and the administrative structure is rigid and centralized. VA health system reform entails defining the patient population and modifying the administrative structure and employee attitudes. These reform efforts may steer the VA toward the provision of independent health plans, partnerships or service contracts with other medical providers, or even hospital closures.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1995
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Why estimates of physician supply and requirements disagree
Article Abstract:
Forecasts of physician supply and demand may often disagree. This may occur because there is no one acceptable approach to calculating these types of forecasts. Researchers surveyed forecasts of physician supply and demand published in the medical literature between 1980 and 1990. The forecasts varied in their predictions of physician supply and demand. This variation was caused by differing assumptions about the number of individuals entering the profession. Another reason was differing assumptions about the size of the clinical workload for different types of physicians. The different types of physicians included researchers, teachers, administrators, residents and female physicians. Estimates of physician demand may be more variable than estimates of physician supply. All the forecasts predicted that the supply would exceed the demand by the year 2000.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1993
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