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Partnership means covered hospital care closer to home for Austin vets

Austin American-Statesman - 8/23/2018

Aug. 23--Austin veterans who need intensive care from a hospital will now have an option closer to home, officials announced Wednesday.

Previously, veterans who went to the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Austin but ended up needing hospitalization were sent to the VA hospital in Temple, the nearest option despite being about an hour away. If the need for care was more urgent, said Christopher Sandles, who directs the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, a patient might have been directed to a local emergency room, but there was no guarantee the resulting care would be covered under VA benefits.

As part of a three-part partnership unveiled Wednesday, though, the clinic will now send veterans to Dell Seton Medical Center, the University of Texas Dell Medical School's teaching hospital, to receive covered care.

"With Dell Medical's unique emphasis on value-based health care, I believe we can work together to prove that the best health care does not have to be the most expensive," Sandles said Wednesday during a news conference to announce the partnership. "I'm excited to really watch this relationship take root."

Austin resident Carl Williams, an Air Force veteran who spoke at the news conference, expressed his gratitude to the VA, which helped connect him to the services he needed to survive cancer and heart and kidney transplants.

"I cannot overstate the care that I received. They've reached out far beyond what I could ever imagine -- or exceeded it," Williams said, adding that he thinks the partnership will benefit veterans like him.

The VA nationwide has struggled to keep long wait times for care down. The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System scored a three out of five last year in agency ratings that include a wait time metric.

Williams said he hadn't experienced problems with wait times at the Austin clinic. The clinic is listed as having a wait time of 10 days for primary care as of Aug. 13, according to the VA's website.

Veterans who can't get an appointment within 30 days are eligible for the Veterans Choice Program, which pays for their medical care at community providers.

Medical school Dean Clay Johnston said the partnership also will mean more seamless care for patients, who'll be seen by the same clinical team at the hospital and the clinic.

That's thanks to the second element of the partnership: a new primary care residency program through the medical school and Seton Healthcare Family, funded by Veterans Affairs. Residents training in internal medicine will split their time between the Austin outpatient clinic and the hospital.

Christann Vasquez, president of Dell Seton Medical Center, said the partnership will enhance veterans' experiences with the health care system in Austin.

"This unified care approach makes veterans' lives easier and reduces stress and confusion for them," Vasquez said. "As a result, veterans can expect better continuity of care and an easier transition back and forth between inpatient and outpatient settings."

Dell and Seton recruited two residents to kick off the program this year, but in the future, they plan to recruit four a year, said Dr. Michael Pignone, chair of internal medicine at Dell. The residency is three years long, so once at full capacity, the program will have 12 residents at any given time.

"Many of our veterans have very complex medical issues," Pignone said. "But they also have amazing stories of strengths, and it's so helpful to our medical students and our residents and, frankly, our faculty, to be able to have the opportunity to learn from those patients and serve them at the same time."

Pignone said the medical school hopes to eventually add more residency programs in high-demand areas for veterans through other departments, such as psychiatry. He said it also hopes to one day partner with the VA to offer fellowships, the training programs doctors go through after residency to become a specialist.

In the long term, Pignone said the goal is for doctors who train in the VA system to go on to work in the VA system.

The third element of the partnership involves Dell Medical School collaborating with Central Texas Veterans Health Care System to conduct veteran-related medical research, though officials said Wednesday the logistics are still being worked out. Johnston said the VA will lease space from Dell for its researchers.

"The health issues that veterans face are substantial," Johnston said. "The challenges are great and to be able to partner with the VA to think about how to do things better ... it's a huge opportunity and a great honor."

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