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VA Health Care: VA Should Better Monitor Implementation and Impact of Capital Asset Alignment Decisions

GAO-07-408 Published: Mar 21, 2007. Publicly Released: Mar 21, 2007.
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Highlights

Through its Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates one of the largest health care systems in the country. In 1999, GAO reported that better management of VA's large inventory of aged capital assets could result in savings that could be used to enhance health care services for veterans. In response, VA initiated a process known as Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES). Through CARES, VA sought to enhance veteran care by the appropriate sizing, upgrading, and locating of VA facilities. GAO was asked to examine the CARES process. Specifically, GAO examined (1) how CARES contributes to VHA's capital planning process, (2) the extent to which the CARES process considered capital asset alignment alternatives, and (3) the extent to which VA has implemented CARES decisions and how this implementation has helped VA carry out its mission. To address these issues, we analyzed CARES documents, interviewed VA officials, and conducted six site visits, among other things.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Veterans Affairs To provide the information necessary to monitor the implementation and impact of CARES decisions, the Secretary should use existing performance measures as well as develop new performance measures for CARES. These measures should include both output measures, such as the implementation status of all CARES decisions, and outcome measures, such as the degree to which CARES has improved access to medical services for veterans, and should be explicitly linked to the goals of CARES.
Closed – Implemented
In response to our recommendation, VA created the Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Implementation Monitoring Working Group. This working group has identified performance measures for CARES and the group will monitor the implementation and impact of CARES decisions.

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Topics

AssetsHealth care facilitiesHealth care planningHealth care programsHealth care servicesPerformance measuresProgram evaluationStrategic planningVeterans hospitalsVeterans' medical careCapital investment planningProgram implementation