Audio

Carolyn Clancy on Improving Veterans' Access to Care

In part 1 of this 2-part exclusive interview, Interim Under Secretary for Health Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, discusses what the VA gets right and where it can improve.


 

“You don't get to high-quality care without a good team,” explains the interim under secretary for health at the VA in a discussion on what the VA gets right and the effort to recruit more health care providers to improve veterans’ access to care.

Click below to hear the full discussion.

Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, has been Interim Under Secretary for Health for the VA since July 2014. In this position she oversees the health care needs of veterans enrolled in VHA as well as the health care providers at > 1,700 sites, including hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and readjustment counseling centers.

Previously, Dr. Clancy was the assistant deputy under secretary for health, for quality, safety, and value where she served as the chief quality management officer for VHA. Dr. Clancy also served as director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality from February 5, 2003, through August 24, 2013.

Dr. Clancy, a general internist and health services researcher, holds an academic appointment at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC, as a clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and was elected a Master of the American College of Physicians in 2004. In 2009, she was awarded the 2009 William B. Graham Prize for Health Services Research.

Dr. Clancy’s research interests include improving health care quality and patient safety and reducing disparities in care associated with patients’ race, ethnicity, gender, income, and education. As the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality director, she launched the first annual report to Congress on health care disparities and health care quality.

[Click here for the edited transcript.]

Part II: Carolyn Clancy on Implementing the Blueprint for Excellence at the VA

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