Meeting the Moment: Innovative Solutions to Veteran Health Care Challenges
In a nation that prides itself on honoring the contributions of Veterans, it is disheartening that Veterans make up approximately one-third of the adult homeless population. Individuals who once donned uniforms and pledged to serve our country now lack safe, reliable housing.
Homelessness is just one of the many challenges the Veteran population faces. Others include suicide and rising chronic health conditions. As Veteran needs continually evolve in an increasingly complex and costly world, ReefPoint Group is completely committed to forging solutions. Our understanding of the unique challenges that burden Veterans is profound because we are Veterans. Forty percent of our team have dedicated their post-military careers to the continued service of Veterans, service members, and their families.
Trends and Challenges
Through our extensive work with Veterans and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, ReefPoint Group has gained a deep understanding of the complexities of Veteran health care. We have identified significant trends and challenges in the landscape, including:
- Rising health care costs for both VA and Veterans.
- A surge in cases of chronic health conditions and mental health issues among an aging Veteran population, which places strain on VA health care providers already operating with limited budgets.
- Obstacles to accessing the care that Veterans need, including travel barriers, a shortage of health care providers, a limited knowledge of benefits, bureaucratic delays, and inadequate end-of-duty training programs.
- Distressingly high suicide rate for Veterans, particularly in Southern states and rural areas.
- High rates of Veteran homelessness and complex support frameworks that leave Veterans feeling overwhelmed and, ultimately, unprepared to successfully transition to support housing.
- Overreliance on traditional medical delivery models, which tend to be more expensive and time-intensive without necessarily improving patient outcomes.
- Underreliance on cross-government and government-private sector collaboration to solve complicated health care challenges.
- Underreliance on collaborative care programs that consider Veterans’ well-being holistically and recognize their diverse and interrelated needs (e.g., physical health care, mental health care, housing, and social services).
ReefPoint Group’s Approach
In the face of these challenges, ReefPoint group crafts innovative, forward-looking, and collaborative solutions that place the Veteran at the center. Here’s a sneak peek of three programs we are piloting.
Providing Coordinated Care for Veterans Experiencing Homelessness.
- Goal. Pave the way for Veteran self-sufficiency.
- How it works. Embed community-based care coordination within the VA Housing program to respond to the needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness.
- Activities involved. Highly skilled service coordinators establish relationships with property managers/owners, assist with government benefits, connect Veterans to health services, and link them to professional and educational resources.
- Anticipated impact. Increase the number of Veterans living in supportive housing, extend the duration of time spent in supportive housing, and increase the frequency with which Veterans access medical care.
Addressing Veteran Suicide Rates Through Enhanced Care Delivery.
- Goal. Increase Veteran access to health care services.
- How it works. Identify and implement local solutions, such as partnering with community care networks, local health plans, leveraging telehealth services, and using innovative digital health tools.
- Activities involved. Increase awareness of benefits; streamline payment, care, and workflow processes; enhance provider training programs; implement mental health initiatives; and address specific needs of local communities.
- Anticipated impact. Increase the number of Veterans accessing VA care in order to ultimately improve health outcomes.
Coordinating Medical and Dental Care to Improve Outcomes for Patients With Chronic Conditions.
- Goal. Improve health outcomes for Veterans with chronic conditions.
- How it works. Create an integrated health care model for Veterans who are eligible for both dental and medical care.
- Activities involved. Establish integrated health teams, implement a care coordination system with electronic health record integration, provide Veteran education on links between dental care and chronic conditions, and design cost-effective treatment plans.
- Anticipated impact. Improved health outcomes for Veterans and consequential cost savings for the VA.
