Advancing Digital Evolution: Working Together to Fuel a New Era of Health IT for Veterans Services

Advancing Digital Evolution: Working Together to Fuel a New Era of Health IT for Veterans Services

AFCEA Bethesda hosted the VA Panel in early February, part of its annual Health IT event.

Veteran and Employee Experience

Ryan said we must credit IT organizations’ agility with the progress we’ve seen over the last couple of years. It’s the commitment to put the Veteran and employee at the center together and enhancing this relationship. Laura stated that it all begins with data. Migrating and syndicating data will ensure that it is safely available. Dave noted that we should embrace the move in the direction of DevSecOps and align with organizations to better deliver services and innovate faster.

Modernization Efforts Across the VA

Paul spoke on the four major modernization efforts going on across the department. Dave commented on the continuous effort it takes to improve and modernize infrastructure. Laura expressed how the delivery of healthcare is modernized so that IT becomes an enabler and touched on VA’s resilience and commitment to continued care. Ryan discussed the challenges of providing high-quality healthcare and fully immersing providers in the experience.

Integrating Technological Advancements into Everyday Work

Ryan spoke on seeing a transformation in the way care is delivered and the inevitable fact that more services are delivered outside of hospitals due to the pandemic. Laura discussed strategy going forward in terms of healthcare. She touched on continuing to tailor services to patients, and how informing on the services offered by VA will aid this. Dave spoke of leveraging the capability to deploy machine learning and AI at a rapid pace to provide direct services to Veterans more quickly.

Improvements from Covid

When asked about the greatest improvements made during the pandemic that can continue long after, Dave spoke on taking advantage of the scalability and reliability of cloud environments. Laura mentioned learning how to be deliberate with resources. Ryan spoke on there still being a digital divide, and how it is incumbent on all of us to solve this challenge. Separating the noise will provide meaningful, actionable intelligence.

Data Management Informing Decisions

Laura said that without good data, we won’t have good results. Ryan noted that standardization across processes is vital to improvement. It allows for the use of data to generate unique insights and the ability to target products to specific markets. Dave spoke on unlocking the power of cloud infrastructure for scalability.

Modernizing with DevSecOps and Existing Systems

Regarding DevSecOps, Dave expressed the need for a change from a project to a product mindset to deliver better care. Ryan described the role AI can play in personalized medicine. Individuals must come together to move forward. Laura touched on how to maintain a legacy environment while still modernizing. Dave noted that this is a chance to excel.

Infrastructure Challenges

Ryan expressed that we can’t lose sight of building and maintaining infrastructure that allows us to continue to provide service in a meaningful way. Dave spoke on the rapid pace of change and introduction of new technology. Laura discussed the continued move forward with modernization, while also insuring there is flexibility for innovation.