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A Letter from the Network Director



As you know, the VA is in the midst of great change as we make rapid and definitive changes to ensure integrity in managing Veterans’ access to timely, quality health care. To accomplish this, in June, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), of which we are a part, launched the Leading Access and Scheduling Initiative – or LASI.



LASI is a near term plan that is in full swing now and is expected to be fully implemented by the end of September. It is comprised of the following actions:



• Accelerate Care for Veterans Currently Waiting for Care Assess Care Delivery Capacity vs. Health Care Demand to Ensure Resource Levels

• Remove 14-Day Performance Goal from Performance Contracts

• Revise and/or Rescind Scheduling Directive

• Suspend VHA Executive Performance Awards for FY14

• Face-to-Face Engagement with Medical Support Assistants, Clinic Managers and Other Critical Front-line Staff

• Communicate VA Values' Applicability to Day-to-Day Performance

• Review and Modify Performance Plans for Wait Time Accountabilities

• Modify Management Dashboards Designed for Organizational and Operational Levels

• Enhance Patient Satisfaction Monitoring to Assess Satisfaction with Access and Experience

• Implement Medical Center Access Audits, Ongoing Monitoring, Elevation Triggers, and Clear Line Accountability Including Specific Requirements for Regular Inspection and Reporting

• Enhance VHA National Program with Focus on Access to Care

• Implement VHA-Wide Site Inspection Process

• Cross-Organization Surveying of Scheduling and Access Best Practices

• Review Medical Support Assistant Classification to Ensure Correct Grading

• Revise, Enhance and Deploy Scheduling Training

• Assess Position Management Practices and Staffing Required to Fully Support VA Medical Centers

• Establish Wait-Time Based Guidance for Non-VA Care Referral

• Assess Implementation of System-Wide Contracts for Primary Care



Under the direction of the VA’s Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Operations and Management, this initiative is being led nationally by VA Project Managers/Business Leads in seven distinct work groups that support the work and move it forward. The work groups include the following: Accelerating Care and Capacity Assessments; Policies, Directives and Procedures; Performance Management; Program Oversight and Integrity; People and Training; Integrate Non-VA Care; and Organizational Health.