Can a healthcare system be transformed? Lessons from the past decade at the Veterans Health Administration.

The Veterans Health Administration in the United States has wrought a miracle. After 10 years of transformation and strategic reinvestment, their healthcare system has become more community-oriented, provides more services overall and costs less per patient. In this commentary, the systems of the Veterans Health Administration and of Canada are compared and contrasted with regard to three key issues: community orientation, patient-centredness and the role of information technology.