Are these facilities otherwise equal in every way, making this a reasonable mandate? No. VHA providers often treat veterans with more complex medical and psychological needs, including PTSD, long-term disabilities, and chronic conditions that require longer consultations. They’re also counseling a largely older population.

DOD providers often serve a younger, generally healther, active-duty population, making it easier to see more patients every day.

In addition, VHA physicians have more administrative tasks, including navigating complex systems for referrals, prescriptions, and coordinating benefits. Many VHA facilities are additionally understaffed and under-resourced, which also impacts the number of patients who can be seen daily.

In short, The VA often focuses on integrated, long-term care, requiring more time per patient. DOD facilities may deal more with short-term or acute care, allowing for a faster pace. Pushing VHA doctors to see more patients might compromise the quality of care, particularly for veterans who require more intensive medical and psychological attention. Increasing the patient load without addressing staffing concerns could lead to burnout among VA providers, worsening staffing shortages in the long term.

A mandate like this would need to be extremely carefully and thoughtfully implemented, to ensure that efficiency gains do not come at the cost of veterans’ health and well-being.

Full contextual analysis of Section 3.11: Department of Veterans Affairs here.