The Department of Veterans Affairs has tweaked a new tool released last month, that's aimed at helping veterans gain access to solid healthcare.
We told you about the Access to Care website, and another option has gone online...the ability to compare individual VA facilities with other hospitals in the area.
Start by Clicking Here.
Then click on "How Does My VA Care Facility Compare To Other Hospitals In The Area".
That will bring you to the following page:
Click on the "Hospital Compare Data" option on the left.
The tool lists nearly 30 hospitals between Broward and St. Lucie Counties, so you can compare them with the VA Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
The list shows the full Veterans Affairs hospitals in each state. At Florida, you'll see the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center.
When you click on it, the site shows you the comparison tool.
The local hospital's rate of infections from things like IV's (0.21) is lower than nearly all other local hospitals, and lower than the national average (0.72).
The local VA has a higher rate (1.77) of urinary tract infections from catheters than a number of other facilities in the area. It's also much higher than the national average (0.86) and just above the regional average (0.84).
The rates are based on a one year period in 2015 and Dr. Mandi tells me they've already taken steps to improve those numbers.
We'll continue to walk you through this feature on the Access to Care site in the coming days and listen for our interview on-air with the West Palm VA Medical Center's Chief of Staff, Dr. Deepak Mandi.
That will also be posted in its entirety here next week.
All Images: Dept. of Veterans Affairs