Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Space Planning Criteria (246)
Washington, DC 20420
March 2007
provide a record of diagnosis and treatment. Service regulation and Retention
Schedules govern the creation and maintenance of inpatient records. The
International Classification of Diseases largely governs the coding of the diagnoses
and procedures. The Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) is utilized.
N. MCCR: Medical Care Cost Recovery
O. MEDICARE Eligible: A patient who is 65 years of age or older and is qualified for
federal reimbursement for healthcare.
P. Office of the Chief: Functions performed in this section include, but are not limited to,
overall management of the service; planning, directing, and controlling operations;
budget planning; fund control; liaison with other services and facility management;
staff assistance to management; interpretation and implementation of policies and
standards; development and implementation of MAS/HAS Systematic Internal Review
Program and coordination of MAS/HAS responses to reviews of MAS/HAS by
external evaluators; training programs and employee development; information
resource management; Privacy Act/Freedom of Information Act administration; and
directing medical administrative assistant activities.
Q. Outpatient Records: Record of diagnostic and treatment encounters of ambulatory
patients in a clinic, hospital or freestanding clinic. Outpatient records are maintained
(filed) separately from inpatient records and may be kept in a Hospital or Outpatient
Clinic.
R. Program for Design (PFD): A space program based on criteria set forth in this
document and specific information about Concept of Operations, workload projections
and staffing levels authorized.
S. SEPS (VA-SEPS): Acronym for Space and Equipment Planning System, a digital tool
developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans
Affairs to generate a Program for Design (PFD) and an Equipment List for a VA
healthcare project based on specific information entered in response to Input Data
Questions. VA-SEPS incorporates the propositions set forth in all criteria chapters.
VA-SEPS has been designed to aid healthcare planners in creating a space plan
based on a standardized set of criteria parameters.
T. Third Party Collection: Third party collection is the effort to obtain payment for health
care services from a source other than the patient. The first two parties to a health
care encounter are the patient and the provider or the organization, which the
provider represents. The third party (not existing in all cases) is a payer other than
the patient. Third Party payers may be insurance companies, employers or, in some
case, governmental agencies.
U. Ward Administration Section: Provides administrative support on the wards
necessary for admission, discharge, and transfer of patients and for safeguarding
their funds and effects.
3
OPERATING AND STORAGE RATIONALE AND BASIS OF CRITERIA
A. The Health Administration Service (HAS) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
medical center level includes a multiplicity of administrative / clerical functions
essential to the effective, overall management of inpatient and outpatient care.
Medical Administration Service / Health Administration Services (Chapter 246): Page 4 of 15
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