Patient Centered Care
Dear Veterans,
Health care used to mean you saw a doctor about your symptoms, and he prescribed a treatment and sent you on your way. This may have worked well for the "system," but it didn’t work for patients. But patient-centered health care revolves around YOU! With this concept, we work with you to improve your health and well-being so that you live life fully in a way that matters to YOU.
Patient-centered care is "personalized" to your unique situation: your condition, preferences, and circumstances; and the physical, emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and environmental influences in your life. It means giving you ready access by appointment, phone, or e-mail to an entire health care team beyond just your physician — a team that includes professionals like nurses, pharmacists, clerks, social workers, nutritionists, psychologists, etc. It also means the team will work together, but we need YOU to be involved — we need YOU to lead the team!
We encourage you to ask questions, make informed decisions, and tell us what works for YOU. In return, we will do our very best to provide health care services that exceed your expectations.
In this issue, you’ll find some excellent examples of how VISN 9 is promoting patient-centered care. We will continue to do what we do best, and we look forward to having you coach us every step of the way.
Vicki Kendrick
Interim Network Director
