Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

June 2, 2021

The COVID-19 Pandemic Shifted the Veterans Affairs System toward Being a Payer and Virtual Care Provider Is It Sustainable

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  • [Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] In-person care at facilities managed by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) declined from 63% of all visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to just 33% during the pandemic, according to an analysis of all encounters paid for or provided by the VA between January 2019 and February 2021. However, total visits of all types (in-person and virtual) only declined by 3.5% (from 4.9 to 4.2 million) as VA encounters shifted largely to virtual care. Similarly, the VA shifted to purchasing care from non-VA providers, with community provided visits exceeded pre-pandemic levels by 26% (increase from 2.3 to 2.9 million).

Rose et al. (June 1, 2021). The COVID-19 Pandemic Shifted the Veterans Affairs System toward Being a Payer and Virtual Care Provider Is It Sustainable. Pre-print downloaded Jun 2 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.05.31.21258031