The Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system is in drastic need of an overhaul - especially its IT systems and infrastructure, according to a national commission assigned to address reforms in the VA’s healthcare system.

Once touted as a ‘leader in the development of EHR technology with VistA,’ the VA has been unable to maintain an IT advantage, the Commission on Care said in its report.

Citing an ‘antiquated, disjointed clinical and administrative’ system, the Commission found the current system can’t support the need for change and long-term sustainability. Further, the VHA lacks the senior health IT leadership to focus on the needs of veterans and the VHA as a whole. 

[Also: CIO LaVerne Council says VA needs new EHR with analytics, cloud, patient experience capabilities]

The Commission on Care, established since Congress passed the Veterans Access Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 and reporting directly to President Barack Obama, made the bold recommendation that VA adopt a new off-the-shelf commercial IT platform to support the financial, operational and clinical needs of the VHA and is asking for major funding from Congress for a new EHR system to replace its current  proprietary EHR, VistA.

Further, the Commission recommended the VHA establish a Chief Health Information Officer position, who will be selected by and report to the chief of VHA Care System. According to the report, this CHIO will develop and implement a new health IT strategy, while developing and maintaining VHA’s health IT budget.

Pointing to major health systems like Geisinger, DoD and Kaiser Permanente the report stressed the need for a medical CIO to advocate for clinical IT needs.

Among its other recommendations, the Commission is seeking to overhaul clinical operations, streamline organizational and performance measurements, rebuild leadership and hold them accountable and streamline the path for eligibility requirements for all veterans, among other recommendations.

“The Commission does not intend for these recommendations to be piecemeal fixes to everyday problems,” according to the report. “Instead, they are presented as the foundation for far-reaching organizational transformation that adheres to a systems approach.”

“We believe these recommendations are essential to ensure our nation’s veterans receive the healthcare they need and deserve, both now and in the future,” the commission said. “Implementing the recommendations in the report will greatly enhance VHA’s ongoing reform efforts by providing both a systems-oriented framework and vitally needed changes in organizational structure.”

The nearly 300-page report was endorsed by 12 of the 15 commissioners; three declined to sign the report; and two wrote dissent letters citing the findings and recommendations weren’t enough to fix the VA’s broken healthcare system.

The VA has already spent billions of dollars to address many of these issues - but failed to do so. And according to the Commission some of the supposed improvements have only made things worse and left the VA filled with ‘many profound deficiencies’ that stem with issues throughout its staff, IT systems, scheduling and healthcare disparities, among other glaring problems. 

Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com

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