Building a better healthcare system isn’t just about adopting the latest technology – it’s about the process of redesigning, policies and patient experience.
The Office of Leaders of the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of National Health Information Technology Coordinator (ONC) talks about their organization at the Digital Medicine Association’s 2030 Healthcare 2030 Summit in Washington, Washington
The Department Secretary Health Secretary Carolyn Clancy said that telemedicine-based care has been provided since 2006, but since the pandemic, it has greatly expanded these programs such as telecommunications, telecommunications and telecommunications.
She explained that the expansion of these programs was affected by the pandemic, during which clinicians designed creative solutions when care was impossible.
For example, she recalls when she moved online during the pandemic during acupuncture. VA physicians quickly spin to hold virtual dates to teach them the veterans “ACU-Touch” technology they can use at home to relieve pain.
Clancy notes that this shows that innovation involves more than technology. It's about changing the way care delivery is done to meet patients.
This is especially important for rural patients, she added.
“Depending on which source I’m looking for, whether it’s a quarter or a third of veterans living in rural areas. I’m not talking about cute AIDS – I mean serious rural. And, unlike most systems, we don’t have luxury goods. [of choosing our market.] Clancy said we have to provide care for all veterans — we can’t say “that’s not a good market.”
To better care for these patients, Virginia has invested in better broadband access and offers telemedicine pods in community locations such as VFW Halls. She noted that this has allowed thousands of veterans to seek care from hours driving.
The department has also established partnerships with community groups such as the Volunteer Fire Department to help veterans learn to use telemedicine technology. Clancy notes this step is critical because access is not only related to connectivity, but is also easy to use, especially for older veterans or veterans with sensory disabilities.
As VA expands innovation on the ground, ONC is creating policy and technology infrastructure designed to make health data flow more efficiently. Steve Posnack, the principal’s national coordinator, explained that over the past decade, the office has promoted frameworks such as standards-based APIs and FHIR to make patient records more accessible.
In addition to improved data movement, Posnack highlights the need to make data more feasible and easier to gain insights.
“First of all, it's about letting us as individuals, accessing our information and the entire record. This is also spreading, so we have a lot of work to do in the field. The second is to help us overwork the clinician (nurse, document) (eTCETERA) (ETCETERA) (ETCETERA) who can help us synthesize the data they shoot in different ways, and he's different.”
Ultimately, Posnack said ONC’s work complements VA’s field innovation. He said federal departments are trying to ensure that new tools and care models are developed when they can connect across systems and support clinicians.
