VA has called a halt to all future deployments of its new electronic health record (EHR) system in order to prioritize fixing issues at the five sites where the system is already deployed.
HCC Surveillance Rebounded at VA, Still Low
How did the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance and factors associated with completion at the VA?
Substance Use Disorders Increasing Fastest Among Older Veterans
The past few years have seen significant increases in diagnoses for cannabis and stimulant use disorder at the VA, especially among older adults.
GOP Bill Calls for End of VA’s EHR Modernization Program; Democrats Vehemently Disagree, Calling Effort ‘Unsound’
A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced legislation that would end VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Program. The bill is a response to the frequently delayed and problem-ridden rollout of the department’s new EHR, which the bill’s authors say is fundamentally broken and doing more harm than good to veterans.
Group Focuses on Telehealth Fraud at VA, DoD, Other Federal Agencies
While the pandemic has resulted in an explosion in the use of telehealth among federal health agencies, it also has created opportunities for fraud and waste, according to a recent joint report from six Offices of the Inspector General (OIGs).
Telehealth Rollback Puts Veterans Receiving Opioid Addiction Treatment at Risk
When the COVID-19 pandemic prompted federal policy changes increasing the use of telehealth delivery, one of those was the increased delivery of buprenorphine
Dietician Mary Julius Champions VA’s Virtual Diabetes Education Program
When Mary Julius was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1974, the world was a very different place. There were only approximately 4.5 million Americans who had been diagnosed with diabetes.
Selection of Supply Chain Management Will Be Test of VA’s New Acquisition Framework to Assure Agency Gets Value for Its Money
As VA moves forward with its long-delayed search for a supply chain management system, the department plans to use the process as a de-facto trial of its new acquisitions’ framework–a system designed to ensure the department uses its money effectively when it comes to major projects.
Columbus, OH, VAMC Is Latest Facility to Face Problems With New EHR
Staff at the Columbus, OH, VAMC, the last VA facility where the department’s new electronic health record system was installed, are experiencing many of the same kinds of problems that occurred in Spokane, WA, where the EHR was piloted.
New Center at NYU Will Focus on How Social Factors Might Affect Veterans Using Telehealth for Cancer
As part of a larger initiative, a center will be established at New York University to determine how social factors might affect the delivery of telehealth for cancer care.
COVID-19 Telehealth Changes Improve VA Treatment for Opioid-Use Disorder
Implementing new policies during the COVID-19 pandemic reduced barriers to telehealth delivery of buprenorphine treatment for opioid-use disorder for veterans seeking care, a new study reports.
VA Further Postpones Electronic Health Record Rollout to New Facilities
VA has postponed the rollout of its new electronic health record (EHR) system to new facilities, including to Boise, ID, where it had been scheduled to go live last month.
Concerns Raised Again About VA’s Widespread Cybersecurity Deficits
For the past four years, the annual Federal Information Security and Modernization Act (FISMA) audit has warned that the VA has lingering deficiencies across a wide range of cybersecurity areas, from agency wide security management programs to incident reporting and identity management.
Telemedicine Effective for Parenteral Chemotherapy Administration at VAMC
With patients in rural Nebraska who have trouble accessing the primary campus in Omaha, the VA Affairs Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System (VA-NWIHCS) is using teleoncology and remote chemotherapy services to expand care to those veterans.
VA Pauses Further EHR Expansion Because of Patient Care Issues
The VA has paused any further expansion of its new electronic health record (EHR) in reaction to an early draft of a VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report.
Facility Performance Metrics Unavailable With Spokane EHR Rollout
When VA’s new electronic health record (EHR) went live at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in October 2020, the system did not have the metrics in place to allow the hospital to measure how the facility was performing, according to a recent study released by the VA Office of the Inspector General.
VHA National Telestroke Program Uses Technology to Improves Acute Stroke Care
Prompt access to specialized care is critical to limiting the damage caused by a stroke.
COVID-19 Pandemic Hits VHA’s MOVE! Weight-Loss Program Hard
The VHA acted quickly to convert its MOVE! Weight Management Program for Veterans to virtual care using telehealth when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.
Glitches, Legislative Objections Don’t Stop VA Electronic Record Rollout
VA recently launched its new electronic healthcare record system in a third region, despite evidence of problems with previous deployments and strong objections from legislators and oversight groups.
VA Continues Inconsistent Measurement of Veteran Wait Times for Care
On its website, VA regularly reports misleading information on how long it takes for a veteran to be seen at its facilities, according to a recent VA Inspector’s General report. That can lead to confusion among veterans and anyone researching wait times, it added.
EHR Rollout Increased Patient Error Risks, Made Staff Jobs More Difficult
Due to the sheer number of complaints received about VA’s rollout of its new electronic health record (EHR) at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC, the VA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) initiated two separate, simultaneous inspections into the EHR process.
Congressional Leadership Asks VA to Rethink Supply Chain System Plans
Bipartisan congressional leadership is asking that the VA halt its plans to adopt the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA’s) supply chain management system.
Who Receives Video Telemental Health Services at VA? It Depends.
Across specialties, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an unprecedented shift toward the use of telemedicine. At the same time, the pandemic has produced a surge in demand for mental health services, as depression and anxiety have dramatically increased.
Omicron Variant Surge Causes Disruptions in VA, DoD Health Systems
The surge in COVID-19 cases created by the omicron variant has caused no small amount of chaos for federal healthcare agencies, resulting in the postponement of major projects, deployment of emergency medical staff and even the infection and subsequent quarantining of agency leaders.
How one VAMC Pharmacy Implemented Gravimetric IV Workflow Technology
For years, the Institute of Safe Medical Practices and other safety groups have been staunch advocates of technology solutions such as gravimetric verification of drug and diluent volumes and have strongly encouraged their implementation to augment manual processes and provide additional safeguards during sterile compounding.
OIG: VA Aware of Scheduling System Issues Before Second VAMC Rollout
VA knew of problems with its new scheduling system prior to its implementation at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, OH, and later at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in Spokane, WA, but failed to fix them before going live at the two facilities, according to a report released last month.
VA Continues to Struggle With Medical/Surgical Inventory Management
VA’s new inventory management system being piloted at the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in Chicago is failing to meet many of the facility’s needs, according to agency overseers.
Survey: VA EHR Deployment Drove Down Staff Morale at Spokane VAMC
Despite lingering problems with the deployment of its new electronic medical record system at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in Spokane, VA, officials said the department is still on track to deploy the system in Columbus, OH, early in 2022.
VA Efforts to Secure Its IT System Hampered by Congressional Doubts
For years, VA has struggled to secure its IT systems, with cybersecurity appearing as a persistent weakness in inspectors’ reports.
The department has said it believes that one of the steps toward making progress is addressing the buildup of outdated technology and software, or “technical debt,” that VA has accrued over the decades. VA estimates the total cost of fixing that current debt at $1.3 billion.
VA Commissions Independent Cost Analysis of EHR Modernization Overruns
After underreporting the cost of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) project by billions, VA is undertaking an independent cost analysis that is estimated to take as long as 12 months to complete.
