The Department of Veterans Affairs https://www.va.gov is moving ahead with their systemwide EHR Modernization program. The VA has revised their schedule and will roll out the EHR system across the department through early fiscal year 2024.
Pre-development activities are underway in VISNs 10 and 20 while preparing for future fiscal year site deployments in VISNs 12 and 23. As for VISN 12, coordination activities have begun. Future deployments, adjustments, and/or modifications to the schedule will be made based on any additional clinical and technical findings and will continuously consider the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The new EHR management structure will be streamlined and supported by a revised program that incorporates best practices in communication, risk management, business process, system development lifecycle management, and customer experience.
Critical changes in the management of the EHR program will establish a Program Executive Director (PED) for EHR Integration. The PED, a new position will report directly to the VA Deputy Secretary and be responsible for cross organizational and cross functional coordination of communication and implementation strategies to include functional, technical, and program management. The PED will have operational control over the Offices of Functional Champion, Technical Integration, and Program Management.
The VA Secretary has selected Terry Adirim, M.D, to be the PED. Dr Adirim is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and is currently serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
The goal is to significantly strengthen the Office of the Functional Champion (OFC). The OFC will have a principal role in processing and resolving patient safety concerns. Additionally, OFC will help bridge divides among IT, the EHR vendor, and care delivery teams to meet the needs of practicing clinicians and the support staff.
A new position called the Deputy Chief Information Officer (DCIO) for EHR will assume all technology integration functions for the program and ensure close bidirectional communication with technical staff at local sites.
Strategic review has also identified a need for greater clarity of responsibilities and empowerment of a governance structure that is better able to receive stakeholder input and ensure timely decision making. As a result, the VA is establishing a new EHR Integration Council to prioritize resolving issues that may arise.