Achieving Excellence in Hepatitis B Virus Care for Veterans in the VHA
Enhancing care of veterans infected with hepatitis B virus who are in VHA care includes providingclinical guidance, informatics tools, patient monitoring, and continuous evaluation of care.
Dr. Ross is Director and Dr. Chartier is the Deputy Director and the National Infectious Diseases Officer for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Specialty Care Services, HIV, Hepatitis, and Related Conditions Programs (HHRC). Dr. Morgan is the Director of the HHRC National Hepatitis Resource Center; Chief, Gastroenterology at VA Long Beach Healthcare System in California; and Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Lowy is a Data Analyst for the HHRC Data and Analytics Group and Data Analyst for Health Services Research and Development at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System. Dr. Beste is a Staff Physician and the Director of the VA National Liver Disease Database at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, the Director of the HHRC Data Analytics Group, and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Dr. Maier is a Staff Physician in the Infectious Diseases Section at the VA Portland Healthcare System and an Assistant Professor at Oregon Health and Sciences University in the Division of Infectious Diseases, both in Portland. Ms. Hoffman-Högg is National Program Manager for Prevention Policy at VHA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Durham, North Carolina. Correspondence: Dr. Chartier (maggie.chartier@va.gov).
Author disclosures The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the US Government, or any of its agencies.
Evaluating VA Care for Patients with HBV
As indicators of quality of HBV care are refined for VA patients and the health care delivery system, guidance will be made broadly available to frontline HCPs and administrators. The HBV quality of care recommendations will be paired with a suite of clinical informatics tools and virtual educational trainings to ensure that VA HCPs and facilities can streamline care for patients with HBV infection as much as possible. Quality improvement will be measured nationally each year, and strategies to address persistent variability and gaps in care will be developed in collaboration with the VA SME’s, facilities, and HCPs.
Conclusion
Hepatitis B virus is at least as prevalent among veterans who are cared for at VA facilities as it is in the US civilian population. Although care for patients with HBV infection in the VA is similar to care for patients with HBV infection in the community, the VA recognizes areas for improved HBV prevention, testing, care, and treatment. The VA has begun a continuous quality improvement strategic plan to enhance the level of care for patients with HBV infection in VA care. Centralized coordination and communication of VA data combined with veteran- and field-centered policies and operational planning and execution will allow clinically relevant improvements in HBV diagnosis, treatment, and prevention among veterans served by VA.
