Eye Care Productivity and Access in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System

ABSTRACT Objectives: Eye care in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System is challenged with increasing demand and higher prevalence of patients with complex ocular conditions. Understanding factors that impact eye care productivity and access is necessary for appropriate allocation of resources. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of various eye clinic personnel on eye care provider productivity and patient access. Methods: Utilizing data from the Veterans Health Administration National Data Warehouse, workload and level of staffing were analyzed. Trends in the data were analyzed using descriptive and regression analyses employing both linear and curve fitting modeling methods. Results: There was a significant positive correlation between ophthalmology technicians and ophthalmologist productivity (p < 0.001), number of unique patients seen per year per provider (p = 0.047), and total yearly number of office visits per provider (p < 0.001). Similarly, there was a significant positive corr...