A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has uncovered significant gaps in how the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) monitor the effectiveness of their healthcare sharing agreements. The report indicates that both agencies engage in the sharing of healthcare resources and services, but they currently lack mechanisms to assess whether these agreements provide value or meet intended goals.
In response to the findings, Alyssa Hundrup, Director of Health Care at GAO, emphasized the importance of performance assessments in federal healthcare collaborations. “Without effective oversight and evaluation, it is difficult to determine whether these agreements are resulting in improved care or cost savings for service members and veterans,” Hundrup stated.
Healthcare resource sharing agreements between the DOD and VA are designed to optimize medical services, reduce duplication, and enhance patient outcomes for military and veteran populations. However, the GAO found that neither agency consistently tracks usage metrics, cost-efficiency, or beneficiary satisfaction tied to these agreements.
The report recommends that both departments establish more robust performance measures to evaluate the outcomes of their collaborative arrangements. Doing so, the GAO suggests, could lead to increased transparency, better resource allocation, and improved healthcare delivery.
Going forward, policy makers and agency officials are expected to consider the GAO’s findings and implement targeted reforms to ensure that interagency healthcare agreements deliver measurable benefits to those they are intended to serve.
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