United States Department of Health and Human Services
Decorative bullet image: Home
Decorative bullet image: Questions?
Decorative bullet image: Contact Us
Decorative bullet image: Site Map
HHS Logo Bottom
spacer image
    

ONCHIT Home

 

Health IT Strategic Framework

Attachment 2


Executive Summary

By Executive Order, the President directed that the Secretaries of the Departments of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Defense (DoD) develop a joint approach to work with the private sector to make their health information systems available as an affordable option for providers in rural and medically underserved communities. This report is submitted on behalf of VA through the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It provides coordinated VA/DoD recommended approaches that focus on the capture of lessons-learned and technology and knowledge transfers from data exchange initiatives, the adoption of common standards and terminologies, and the development of telehealth technologies.

In cooperation with HHS, and as also mandated by the President's Executive Order, VA is contributing to the development of a national Strategic Plan that will address a coordinated strategy to improve the delivery of health care by evaluating and recommending technologies that are available across the Federal government. The task to compile the technology listing is delegated to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONCHIT) and recommendations from this report will feed into the larger Strategic Plan.

The report summarizes the comprehensive and close collaboration that VA and DoD have forged to develop interoperable health technologies to improve the quality of care for separate and shared beneficiaries, and to better utilize government resources. As a result of this history, the Departments are able to make a number of recommendations that are identified as a result of coordinated approaches related to data exchange, standards, and telehealth. These approaches include private sector partnering or influence and would facilitate the provision of technology to rural and medically underserved populations; therefore, all should be given consideration for inclusion into the overall Strategic Plan. The joint recommendations include:

  • Capture lessons learned, including technical and resource identification, of data sharing initiatives. Where appropriate, conduct technology transfers to private sector and state and local levels as a means of providing affordable technologies to these areas.

  • Continue joint standards adoption work to leverage the immense capability to influence the vendor community in the development of affordable health technologies.

  • Continue utilization and development of telehealth technologies to be used in the direct provision of care to geographically remote areas and areas that are underserved by health delivery services.

  • Continue development of personal health record technologies that will support the transformation of health care into a patient centric and patient participatory process.

In addition to joint work conducted with DoD, VA brings immense experience and capabilities to this effort to leverage Federal health information technologies for the benefit of the rural and medically underserved. VA is a world-class leader in the use of electronic health record technology in the care provided to its patients. As an overall health information technology strategy, VA has focused on the development of electronic and personal health record technologies, the adoption and implementation of standards into technologies, participation in broad-data exchange initiatives with community-based and private care partners, as well as the development of interoperable health records.

Much of VA's Veterans Information Systems & Technology Architecture) (VistA) system was developed by VA government resources and, therefore, the software exists in the public domain. Through on-going and active collaborations with a number of government and private-sector resources, VA encourages the proliferation of public domain technologies based on VistA code. This approach reduces expensive development costs associated with software and human capital requirements and makes proven electronic health record (EHR) technology an affordable and direct-transfer option to rural and medically underserved communities. VA's approach directly supports the provision of health information technology expertise to communities where it is needed most, at very little cost.

VA's successes with technologies such as VistA, HealthePeople-VistA, the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), the Bar Code Medication Administration System, telehealth and VistA Imaging technologies, and the My HealtheVet personal health record, are ripe for adoption into a national strategic plan to leverage Federal technologies to improve health care for all citizens. As a leading provider of Federal health care, and an active participant and partner with multiple national and private sector health information technology initiatives, VA is well-prepared to implement each recommendation contained in this report.

Last revised: July 27, 2004

HHS Home | Questions? | Contact HHS | Site Map | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Freedom of Information Act | Disclaimers

The White House | FirstGov