The Department of Veterans Affairs released a request for proposals for new community care contracts on Dec. 15 that it says will improve health care choice and quality for veterans over the next decade.
VA signed contracts in 2018 with health plans to serve as third-party administrators and manage its community care program. Many of these contracts are set to expire next year, and a new round of contracts is needed to ensure veterans have continued access to the community care program.
VA’s community care program enables veterans to access health care from non-VA medical providers at the department’s expense. Approximately 40 percent of all VA care is provided through community care today.
According to a release, the RFP will lead to new community care contracts that will improve health care choice and quality for veterans in the following ways:
More choices for veterans – The new indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract structure will provide more choices by allowing multiple national and regional health plans to compete to serve veterans. Selected health plans will provide care and benefits uniquely adapted to veterans and their communities.
Improved quality of care for veterans – the contracts will require health plans to adhere to broad industry standards of care used by all other major health care systems, ensuring veterans get care that has been shown to directly address their medical conditions and maximize their health and wellness.
Improved VA oversight of community care – the contracts will provide VA with the data, technology, and systems to manage veterans’ care in real-time, drive innovation, and collaborate with the selected health plans to ensure that veterans receive the highest quality health care.
The new IDIQ contract structure also allows VA to issue multiple, competitive task orders over the life of the contract in order to adjust health plans, regions, contract requirements, and deliverables, and ensure that health plans are empowered and accountable.
According to the release, contractors that do not meet VA requirements can be off-ramped and replaced by other IDIQ health plans to ensure continuity of services and no disruption of care to veterans or VA operations.
Community care has been an integral part of caring for veterans since the World War II era. In 2018, President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan MISSION Act, which strengthened the nationwide VA Health Care System by empowering veterans with more health care options, including community care.
“VA has learned a lot about community care over the years, and we are putting that knowledge to use to help veterans with the next generation of community care contracts,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins. “This RFP will result in contracts that dramatically improve our ability to provide quality health care while ensuring veterans can choose the care that’s best for them.”
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.