United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Health, Education, and Human Services Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1999-07-22 monographic deposited born digital 14 p. GA 1.13:T-HEHS-99-173 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173 P0b002ee18038fbea f:he99173t DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173 T-HEHS-99-173 Veterans hospitals Federal downsizing Veterans benefits Health resources utilization Health services administration Federal agency reorganization VA Veterans Integrated Service Network VA Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services Initiative Testimony HEHS During the last decade, hospital use by the Veterans' Health Administration's (VHA) has dropped about 58 percent, or by 28,000 patients a day. It is expected to continue to decline during the next 20 years, primarily because of a projected 36-percent decrease in the veteran population. About one in three VHA hospitals serves markets with the highest declines in the veteran population and the lowest VHA hospital utilization. VHA's limited progress toward establishing an asset realignment process needlessly delays the reinvestment of scarce resources to enhance veterans' health care. Potential shortcomings in VHA's proposed process�locally led steering committees that have heavy stakeholder involvement�do not instill confidence that VHA will be significantly closer to having a restructuring plan by this time next year than it is today. It seems that a better option would involve a more centralized planning model that is based on consultant or field information and that is free from undue influence from local stakeholders. Without firmer leadership, VHA might take many years to decide on, much less accomplish, systemwide asset realignment. The daily cost of unduly delayed decisions is unacceptably high, given that the Department of Veterans' Affairs could be spending $1 million or more a day to operate and maintain unneeded assets. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173/html/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173/pdf/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173.pdf GAO/T-HEHS-99-173 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-T-HEHS-99-173 Testimony GAO/T-HEHS-99-173; VA Health Care: Challenges Facing VA in Developing an; Veterans hospitals Federal downsizing Veterans benefits Health resources utilization Health services administration Federal agency reorganization VA Veterans Integrated Service Network VA Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services Initiative