Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

VA provides better care than private sector for medication treatment for mental disorders

A study released last month indicated that the quality of medical treatment for mental disorders in the VA exceeds that of the private sector.

Dr. Praveen Fernandes is the Director of Outpatient Mental Health for the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.

He says the researchers on the study collected data on more than half a million patients over the course of a year in both the VA and private sector. 

Fernandes says they looked at four quality indicators, including whether patients had blood levels monitored while they were on their medications, whether or not the providers took a general blood chemistry monitoring while patients were taking medications for mental illness, whether the patients took their meds for at least 12 weeks after they were diagnosed with an episode of psychosis or depression and whether the patients filled their medication for a 12-month period as part of their maintenance treatment.

"What does the VA have going for it that maybe the private sector may not?  There are many possibilities.  For example, in every VA medical center, one thing we have is a co-location of our pharmacy with our lab so they are typically next to each other so patients can fill their medications, pick up their medications, and get their blood tested at the same time.  So they almost go hand-in-hand.”

Fernandes says the VA also has a great system of electronic records with patient profiles available at the click of a button.

The study was published in last month’s issue of Psychiatric Services.