Information and resources VA health system leaders need to manage enrollment and retention for Post-9/11 veterans.

Brown T, Fagerlin A, Samore MH, Harris AHS, Galyean P, Zickmund S, Pettey WBP, Vanneman ME. Information and resources VA health system leaders need to manage enrollment and retention for Post-9/11 veterans. Health services research. 2024 Oct 1; 59(5):e14351.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions

Search for Abstract from PubMed

---

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: To understand Veterans Health Administration (VA) leaders' information and resource needs for managing post-9/11 Veterans' VA enrollment and retention. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: Interviews conducted from March-May 2022 of VA Medical Center (VAMC) leaders (N = 27) across 15 sites, using stratified sampling based on VAMC characteristics: enrollment rates, number of recently separated Veterans in catchment area, and state Medicaid expansion status. STUDY DESIGN: Interview questions were developed using Petersen et al.'s Factors Influencing Choice of Healthcare System framework as a guide. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and two coders analyzed the interviews using Atlas.ti, a qualitative software program. Coders followed the qualitative coding philosophy developed by Crabtree and Miller, a process of developing codes for salient concepts as they are identified during the analysis process. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: Two coders analyzed 22% (N = 6) of the interviews and discussed and adjudicated any discrepancies. One coder independently coded the remainder of the interviews. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Several key themes were identified regarding facilitators and barriers for VA enrollment including reputation for high-quality VA care, convenience of VA services, awareness of VA services and benefits, and VA mental health services. Nearly every VA leader actively used tools and data to understand enrollment and retention rates and sought to enroll and retain more Veterans. To improve the management of enrollment and retention, VA leaders would like data shared in an easily understandable format and the capability to share data between the VA and community healthcare systems. CONCLUSIONS: Enrollment and retention information is important for healthcare leaders to guide their health system decisions. Various tools are currently being used to try to understand the data. However, a multifunctional tool is needed to better aggregate the data to provide VA leadership with key information on Veterans' enrollment and retention.