Access to Care
Veterans’ access to timely, high-quality healthcare is affected by a combination of factors. Social determinants such as housing, transportation, and social support play important roles. Geography—how far Veterans live from VA facilities—presents another significant barrier, particularly for specialty care services like mental health, rehabilitation, oncology, and orthopedics. Veterans living in the most remote rural areas may even have difficulty accessing primary care or virtual care. HSR researchers study how these factors affect Veterans' access and evaluate innovations—including telehealth, mobile clinics, and community partnerships—for improving the availability, timeliness, and quality of care.
Each section below is populated by a search of the HSR website. Search results are generated based on the search term "Access" . Results are updated as new data are available.
VIEW: Citations | Publication Briefs | Studies | HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters | Cyberseminars | Videos | Podcasts | Other Resources
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Citations
(recent ACCESS publications)
- Schmajuk G, Li J, Nasrallah C, Wilson C, Hamblin A, Hariz C, Young C, Shiboski S, Kersey E, Nakamura M, Ashouri JF, Matloubian M, Gross AJ, Barton J, Berrean B, Prugh J, Yazdany J. Evaluation of a novel EHR sidecar application to display RA clinical outcomes during clinic visits: results of a stepped-wedge cluster randomized pragmatic trial. Arthritis care & research. 2025 Dec 18 DOI: 10.1002/acr.70016.
- Leung LB, Brayton CE, Shepardson RL, Gray CP, Lee ML, Funderburk JS, Fortney JC. Leveraging COVID-19 to modernise depression care for VA primary care populations: protocol for a sequential explanatory mixed method evaluation. BMJ open. 2025 Dec 15; 15(12):e094624, DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094624.
- Stamm B, Tang Q, Daggy J, Myers LJ, Calcatera S, Spontak K, Larson J, Graham G, Musser WS, Hermann L, Damush T, Williams LS. Impact of the Veterans Affairs National Telestroke Program's Subacute Telestroke Service on Interhospital Transfers. The Neurohospitalist. 2025 Dec 13; 19418744251403894, DOI: 10.1177/19418744251403894.
- Urbanski DP, Parikh RR, Wolf JM, Langworthy BW, Jutkowitz E, Shippee TP. Telehealth Use by Residence Type in Older Adults Receiving Long-Term Services and Supports: The US National Core Indicators Survey (2021-2022). Journal of The American Medical Directors Association. 2025 Dec 8; 27(2):105996, DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2025.105996.
- Randa SN, Nouri S, Walling AM, Patel K, Cheng MKW, Ritchie CS, Li B, Vanegas G, Cardoso E, Sudore RL. Errors in Electronic Health Record Advance Care Planning Documentation: It's a Patient Safety Issue. Journal of palliative medicine. 2025 Nov 17 DOI: 10.1177/10966218251395440.
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Publication Briefs
(recent ACCESS Publication Briefs )
- MISSION Act Associated with Higher Risk of Adverse Outcomes Among Veterans Receiving Major Cardiovascular Procedures in Non-VA Facilities
This study aimed to measure the MISSION Act’s impact on Veterans’ travel times and outcomes for major cardiovascular procedures. Investigators characterized Veterans who received non-VA MISSION Act care (lived >60 minutes from a VAMC) as “far” Veterans, vs. “near” Veterans, who received care at VAMCs. Findings showed that MISSION Act implementation was associated with decreased VA hospital use and...
Date: July 31, 2025
- Virtual Mental Health Services Reduce Suicide-Related Events Among Veterans
This study evaluated whether virtual mental health service use affects the risk of individual-level suicide-related events (SREs). Findings showed that a 1% increase in the percentage of virtual mental health visits relative to total visits was associated with a nearly 3% decrease in SREs among Veterans. In this sample, virtual mental health visits comprised 45% of all mental health visits. Findin...
Date: November 5, 2024
- VHA Spending for VHA-Medicare Advantage Dual Enrollee Veterans More than Doubled from 2011–2020 to $12B as Dual Enrollment Grew
VHA-Medicare Advantage (MA) dual enrollment may be a source of significant excess federal spending, as MA plans receive payments for comprehensive healthcare services, without having these payments reduced if Veterans receive care in VHA. Findings from this study showed that from 2011–2020, the number of VHA-MA dual enrollees who used VHA services increased by 63%, from 14% of all VHA-Medicare enr...
Date: October 2, 2024
- Dual Insurance Coverage Is Common Among VA Enrollees
This study sought to investigate changes in Veterans’ health insurance coverage and insurance sources from 2010 to 2021 by analyzing data from three national surveys, as well as a survey of VA enrollees. Findings showed that more than 90% of Veterans reported having health insurance coverage from any source. Of those enrolled in VA, more than 75% had another source of coverage. In 2010, 94% of all...
Date: August 26, 2024
- Veterans with Diabetes Receiving Community Primary Care Had Worse Diabetes Care Quality and Higher Costs than Veterans Receiving VA Primary Care
This study compared the quality, costs, and outcomes of community- and VA-provided primary care for Veterans with diabetes over 12 months during FY 2021–2022. Findings showed that Veterans who received community primary care had worse diabetes care quality and higher mean total costs (driven by higher inpatient and prescription drug costs) than Veterans who received VA primary care. There was no d...
Date: August 5, 2024
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Studies
(recent ACCESS projects
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| Project No. |
Title |
PI |
Funding End |
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MRA0-004-24W
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Optimizing Veteran Health through Evidence-based Learning Health Systems Science - Research Career
Scientist Award Application |
Martin, Jennifer |
2032-06-30 |
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RCS 14-232
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HSR&D Career Scientist |
Sox-Harris, Alexander |
2031-09-30 |
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RCS 24-265
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HSR&D Senior Research Career Scientist Award |
Damush, Teresa |
2031-03-31 |
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CDA 22-192
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Improving Specialty Care Through Virtual Care Models |
Tisdale, Rebecca |
2030-12-31 |
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CDA 23-137
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Improving Timely Access to Care for Veterans with Pulmonary Fibrosis Detected on Lung Cancer Screening |
Kaul, Bhavika |
2030-06-30 |
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HSR Briefs, Reports, Newsletters
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Cyberseminars
The most recent "Access" seminars are displayed.
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| Date |
Title |
Presenter(s) |
| 1/8/2025 |
Incorporating Equity into Implementation Science: A Health Equity Adaptation to the Evidence-Based Quality Improvement Implementation Strategy
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Wong, Michelle
Gore, Kara
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| 1/7/2025 |
A Re-Introduction to VC CORE: Get to know our People, Products, and Programming
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Sherman, Scott
Zulman, Donna
Hogan, Timothy
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| 11/14/2024 |
VA Data Access Requirements for Operations
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Jannotta, Angela
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| 11/13/2024 |
Variation in Initiating Anticoagulation Therapy in Veterans with Atrial Fibrillation by Race, Ethnicity, and VA Facility
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Essien, Utibe
List, Justin
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| 11/6/2024 |
Requesting Data Preparatory to Research
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Efimova, Olga
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