American journal of surgery
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Veterans Administration (VA) medical centers have had a long history of providing medical care to those who have served their country. Over time, the VA has evolved into a facility that has had a major role in graduate medical education. In surgery, this had provided experience in the medical and surgical management of complex surgical disease involving the head and neck, chest, and gastrointestinal tract, and in the fields of surgical oncology, peripheral vascular disease, and the subspecialties of urology, orthopedics, and neurosurgery. ⋯ This is not the case for the Department of Veterans Affairs. With the congressionally mandated charge for the VA to compare its quality to private clinicians, the advent of the "Surgery Package" became possible. The VA will continue its leadership position in the healthcare arena if it can successfully address the challenges facing it.