Hershel “Woody” Williams VAMC trust score rises to 94.1% and ranks in top 25 most trusted VA medical centers worldwide
Huntington W. Va.– Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Veteran trust in Hershel “Woody” Williams VA Medical Center has risen to 94.1% — up from 87.1% in 2018 (the first year since VA began conducting this survey). Additionally, nationwide trust in VA outpatient care has increased to 91.8% — up from 85.6% in 2018.
Hershel “Woody” Williams VAMC’s trust score is 2.3% above the national average and is in the top 25 most trusted VA medical centers worldwide.
“I’m humbled by our Veterans’ confidence and trust in Team Woody. We strive daily to provide world-class health care to our nation’s heroes and proud that Veterans choose Team Woody to provide their care,” Medical Center Director Brian Nimmo, FACHE, said. “We’ll do our best to honor our Veterans’ trust by continuing to listen, partner, and enhance their wellness, one encounter at a time.”
VA trust findings are based on a system-wide survey of Veteran patients who received VA health care in the past 90 days. Veterans were asked whether they trusted VA for their health care needs across a variety of categories – including scheduling an appointment, health care visits, in-person pharmacy, mail-order pharmacy, labs/imaging, and Veteran safety.
“It’s no coincidence that both Veterans’ trust and employee engagement have steadily increased respective to our High Reliability Journey,” Nimmo said. “Listening to our Veterans, and rigorous self-evaluation have resulted in better health outcomes, a core tenet of Team Woody’s mission. Our journey is a marathon; we look forward to continuously improving our Veterans’ care and experience.”
This survey mirrors the findings of recent independent studies. According to Medicare’s latest nationwide survey of patients, VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals on all 10 core patient satisfaction metrics — including overall hospital rating, communication with doctors, communication about medication, willingness to recommend the hospital, and more. VA health care has also consistently outperformed non-VA care in peer-reviewed studies, overall quality ratings, and affordability for Veterans.
“Our trust score is a reflection of Team Woody’s internal culture and mission statement—Together, we honor and serve America’s Veterans,” Nimmo said.
VA recently expanded health care eligibility for millions of Veterans nationwide, years earlier than called for by the PACT Act. As of March 5th, all Veterans who were exposed to toxins and other hazards while serving in the military and meet certain requirements became eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. This means that all Veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11 can enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. Additionally, Veterans who never deployed but were exposed to toxins or hazards while training or on active duty in the United States are also eligible to enroll. VA also recently expanded health care to all World War II Veterans.
Moving forward, VA will continue to aggressively reach out to Veterans to encourage them to come to VA. VA encourages all Veterans, family members, caregivers, and survivors to learn more about VA to understand how VA fits into their lives, and apply for their world-class health care and earned benefits today.
For more information about VA care, visit VA’s health care website and about Veteran trust in VA, visit the VA trust website.
To schedule interviews with subject matter experts, contact James Huckfeldt via email at James.Huckfeldt@va.gov or call 304-429-6741 ext. 2518.
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