IT Is in Everything
We Do
BY DOMINIC CUSSATT,
PRINCIPAL DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY, OFFICE OF INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY
(OIT), DEPUTY CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS (VA)
YOU MAY have heard the popular refrain, “Every
company is an IT company.” It underscores the intrinsic
role information technology (IT) plays in a company’s
ability to successfully serve its customers and gain a
competitive edge. Though government often defines
success differently than the private sector, the role of
IT in achieving our mission at VA is no less vital.
Secretary Robert Wilkie has said many times that VA
is in the midst “of the most radical transformation since
. . . World War II.” After three and a half years in VA’s
OIT, I have witnessed how our department is leading
the way when it comes to creating a superior Veteran
experience. IT is the backbone of this transformation.
Right now, VA OIT is undertaking several initiatives
simultaneously that will enable VA to more efficiently
fulfill our ultimate mission of bringing better service
and care to our Veterans. All of these initiatives are as
enormous as they are complex. Here are only a few:
ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD
MODERNIZATION (EHRM)
One of the largest health information system initiatives
of its kind in the world, EHRM brings together critical
health care databases from VA and the U.S. Department
of Defense (DoD) into a single integrated system. This
massive data transformation project is designed to achieve
a single, interoperable electronic health record solution
that allows for the secure transfer of Veterans’ personal
medical and service information in a “longitudinal” record
that will follow them from bootcamp to post-service
care. VA is on track to begin rolling out the new EHRM
software at VA medical centers in March of 2020.
MAINTAINING INTERNAL SYSTEMS
AND STRENGTHENING INTEGRATED
OUTSIDE NETWORKS (MISSION) ACT
The MISSION Act gives Veterans greater choice and access
to health care in VA facilities and beyond. It expands benefits
for caregivers, allows Veterans more control in seeking the
best care where and when they need it, and improves VA’s
ability to recruit and retain the best medical providers.
Implementation of this provision required development of
new IT tools and technologies that assist VA clinicians and
caregivers in selecting and arranging the most appropriate
care for Veterans across the newly available options.
THE HARRY W. COLMERY VETERANS
EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT OF 2017
Also known as the Forever GI Bill (FGIB), Colmery
expands and enhances education benefits for Veterans
and their dependents, providing more flexibility to attend
higher education and obtain new skills later in life. The
FGIB included 34 complex provisions that required
extensive reprogramming and enhancing of existing
VA benefits IT systems on a very short timeline.
THE NEW VA.GOV WEBSITE
OIT recently partnered with US Digital Services to redesign
the VA’s public-facing website so that all VA information
and services are available from a single website. For
the first time, Veterans can gain access to the many VA
services from one easy-to-use homepage that focuses on
the top 20 tasks that 80 percent of VA’s customers need in
easy-to-understand language. Within the first week of the
launch, VA.gov had almost a half-million unique users.