FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on VA IT Modernization and Scheduling

Original title: EVALUATING VA IT: SCHEDULING MODERNIZATION AND CHOICE CONSOLIDATION

January 1, 2017

Veterans Affairs Information Technology Healthcare Scheduling Community Care

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing addresses the modernization of the VA's 1980s-era scheduling system, which directly impacts how veterans book medical appointments and how the VA processes claims for community-based healthcare providers.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Veterans

The modernization of scheduling and community care systems directly impacts the process by which veterans book medical appointments and receive care.

Community Healthcare Providers

The consolidation of community care networks and associated IT systems changes how these providers process claims with the VA.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript of a 2016 joint House subcommittee hearing regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) efforts to modernize its aging health information technology systems. The hearing focused on upgrading scheduling software and the IT infrastructure required to consolidate programs.

Key Facts

The hearing was held on April 14, 2016, by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
The VA currently relies on the VistA health information system, which was originally developed in the 1980s.
The VA has been planning to procure commercial, state-of-the-art scheduling software since late 2012.
The VA released a draft request for proposal (RFP) for a consolidated community care network on April 13, 2016.
The hearing examined the IT requirements necessary to support the consolidation of community care programs.
Responsibility for VA health IT systems is shared between the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and the Office of Information and Technology (OI&T).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is VistA?

is the VA's health information system, which was originally developed in the 1980s and is currently used for scheduling and other health functions.

What was the main goal of this hearing?

To evaluate the current state of VA health IT systems and discuss plans for modernizing scheduling software and consolidating IT requirements.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Transition to Commercial Software

The VA shifted its strategy from maintaining legacy VistA systems to procuring commercial, state-of-the-art scheduling software.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Connected Entities

organizationThe American Legion“Provided a statement for the record”Map →

personDavid Shulkin“Under Secretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration”Map →

personLaVerne Council“Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and CIO”Map →

personDan Benishek“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health”Map →

personMike Coffman“Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight & Investigations”Map →

organizationU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs“Federal department responsible for veteran healthcare and IT”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment15
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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