Medical care
-
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) established several internal research organizations to analyze the many VA and non-VA databases. The information obtained assists VA in achieving its objective of providing cost-effective, high quality health care for veterans. Each group has a unique and well-defined function. ⋯ The Department of Veterans Affairs has provided for the dissemination of information about research and databases by explicitly including this task as the focus of one group. A drawback to VA's research system is the minimal intercommunication among the groups. Learning about VA's internal research structure can assist other multihospital systems to identify their informational needs and establish suitable research organizations.
-
This article is intended to provide a basic framework for the reader in understanding the structure and products of the information management system that supports the functions of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It will identify the primary information resources management organizations in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and briefly describe how they relate to each other; summarize the history, purpose, and contents of the major health care databases; and discuss future directions for VHA's information management efforts.