For the second year, the Veterans Administration (VA) https://www.va.gov has been recognized for innovations developed for federal health technology. The VA received nine awards for innovative programs ranging from text messaging to programs that help modernize business practices.
The nine VA programs involving innovations in health IT include:
- Solor—Developed off-the-shelf software to convert complex language into user-friendly terminologies to produce interoperability. This innovative approach represents a shift in how software developers consume terminology. Now collaborative improvement is possible in medical knowledge, patient care, and patient safety which produces interoperability
- Veterans Signals (V Signals)—Enables the VOICE Veteran Experience program to collect feedback from veterans on a comprehensive list of VA programs and services
- Benefits Integration Platform (BIP)—A modern, flexible, cloud –based IT platform based on an open-source technology stack to improve the way the VA manages and provides veteran benefits, healthcare, and memorials. The data is migrated out of the current commercial hosting facility to the BIP platform
- Light Electronic Action Framework (LEAF)—A low-code solution for digitizing paper-based forms. LEAF empowers VA users to streamline business activities, increase transparency, and enable real-time data and status tracking.
- Enterprise Software Asset Management Program—Tracks and manages IT software assets throughout their life cycle. This enables the VA to reduce costs, identify trends, and improve software investment decision-making.
- Digital Transformation Center—Improves the VA’s ability to provide rapid incremental improvements in IT capabilities by using Software as a Service (SAS) Platform as a Service (PAAS) and other emerging technologies as transformation enablers
- Vet 360—System enables the sharing of contract information across the VA and allows veterans to add or edit their contact, personal and military service information via the new VA.gov website. Up-to-date information involving prescriptions, appointment reminders, lab and test results, disability compensation, pension benefits, claims and appeals are provided
- VEText—An interactive mobile solution to remind veterans of appointments through text messaging
- Lighthouse—Empowers partners to build innovative solutions through by using a modern API development experience plus standards-based APIs to operate at a more rapid rate. The API program can be used to track benefits, provide information on VA facilities, and provide electronic verification of a veteran’s status on commerce, job, and third-party benefit websites. Improved access is provided to provide health information ranging from allergies, diagnostic reposts, lab results, medications, and procedures