Organisational health as the unifying framework: Integrating VHA’s transformational efforts

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), as exemplified by its mission statement, ‘Honor America’s Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being’, has long recognised its moral obligation to provide the highest quality care for America’s heroes. In response to important healthcare industry trends — such as the shift to patient-centered models, integrated care and the rise of high reliability principles to reduce medical errors — the VHA has adapted its strategies to meet the evolving needs of Veterans. These trends have driven the VHA to commit to several important initiatives, including Whole Health, employee experience and patient experience programmes, while also adopting principles of high reliability organisations (HROs) to guide cultural transformation. Initially perceived as disparate efforts by managers and staff, the VHA shifted towards an organisational health framework to integrate these initiatives into a cohesive strategy. Organisational health serves as the unifying lens through which the VHA manages largescale transformations, ensuring that patient safety, holistic care and workforce well-being are consistently prioritised. This approach mirrors frameworks like the IHI Quadruple Aim and Quintuple Aim in broader healthcare, focusing on patient outcomes, employee engagement and care quality. The VHA’s success to date is demonstrated by important metrics, such as a 91.8 per cent trust level in VA healthcare, a 41 per cent improvement in the close-call-toadverse- event ratio since 2021, and the fact that 67 per cent of VA hospitals receive four or five-star Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ratings. This paper explores how the VHA’s organisational health framework serves as a scalable model for aligning strategic efforts for optimum service delivery and employee satisfaction. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/