Volume 53, Issue S3 pp. 5133-5139
Special Issue: Linking VA and Non-VA Data to Address US Veteran Health Services Issues

HSR Commentary: Linking VA and Non-VA Data to Address Important US Veteran Health Services Research Issues

Denise M. Hynes M.P.H., Ph.D., R.N.

Corresponding Author

Denise M. Hynes M.P.H., Ph.D., R.N.

Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, Veterans Affairs Portland VA Health Care System, Portland, OR

Veterans Affairs Information Resource Center, Hines, IL

College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR

Address correspondence to Denise M. Hynes, M.P.H., Ph.D., R.N., Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care, Veterans Affairs Portland VA Health Care System, Portland, OR; Veterans Affairs Information Resource Center, Hines, IL; and also College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR; e-mail: [email protected]. Search for more papers by this author
Matthew L. Maciejewski Ph.D.

Matthew L. Maciejewski Ph.D.

Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care, Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC

Department of Department of Population Health Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC

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David Atkins M.D., M.P.H.

David Atkins M.D., M.P.H.

Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC

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First published: 14 November 2018
Citations: 2

Abstract

Objective

This commentary summarizes the methods and topics addressed in the special issue of HSR focused on linkage of United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA datasets. The issue illustrates that researchers are increasingly linking diverse datasets as a valuable method for obtaining outcomes, treatments, and covariates to evaluate and examine health care delivery that includes non-VA services. The issue serves as a reference to VA and non-VA investigators alike who employ data linkage methods to address high-impact clinical and health policy evaluations that span different care systems and different datasets.

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