Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization Executive Director John H. Windom attended a recent health information technology (IT) summit to discuss how the Department of Veteran Affair’s (VA) Electronic Health Record Modernization program will improve access to and efficiency of care for Veterans.
As the summit’s keynote speaker, Windom participated in a keynote discussion with the CEO and vice president of the Defense Strategies Institute (DSI) Group, Joe Myers. The event, held virtually July 8-9 and organized by DSI, provided an opportunity for Windom to share how VA’s new electronic health record (EHR) system will impact Veterans and how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected implementation. VA kicked off its effort to adopt the same commercial EHR solution as the Department of Defense (DoD) in 2018. The new system will allow data to seamlessly transfer between providers in a secure system as patients transition from military service to Veteran status.
The two leaders also discussed VA’s rollout of the Centralized Scheduling Solution, a new patient-appointment management tool that will make medical visits more efficient for health care providers and Veterans, as well as data standards management, training portfolios, technological innovations, and interoperability with DoD’s new EHR.
“It’s always rewarding,” Windom said of his work on EHRM. “When you go home at night … you don’t have to reflect on ‘did you accomplish something in this given day?’ Sometimes that step is only three inches, but that three inches is more important than maybe three feet that someone takes in another arena.”
The summit focused on how VA, DoD and other federal agencies are delivering innovative, secure and interoperable health IT solutions for military and government. Other VA speakers at the summit included Paul Lawrence, under secretary for benefits; Dr. Neil Evans, chief officer, Office of Connected Care and interim director, Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization program office; Dr. Paul Tibbits, executive director, Office of Technical Integration; and Karen Brazell, principal executive director and chief acquisition officer, Office of Acquisition, Logistics and Construction.
Although virtual, this year’s event included some sessions that were broadcast live to registered guests due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Defense Strategies Institute’s website, the nonpartisan institute brings together military and government leaders for open discussion on how to achieve mission success through educational events.
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