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VA SAYS JOINT ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS SYSTEM
WILL TAKE TIME -- Congressional testimony and
GAO report point out many problems.
The following story is about the
Congressional testimony surrounding the joint DoD / VA records system.
The GAO his chimed in, and their reports are here...
Full...
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d07852t.pdf
Highlights...
http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07852thigh.pdf
Story here...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/
article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/08/national/
w132459D73.DTL&type=politics
Story below:
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VA: Joint Records System Will Take Time
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Pentagon and VA officials said Tuesday it could take
years to install a joint system for electronic health records that would
alleviate delays for injured troops seeking medical care.
The comments about the joint records came before a House subcommittee,
while the chairman of the full House Veterans' Affairs Committee said in
a separate briefing for reporters that he planned to increase oversight
of the Veterans Affairs Department following continuing reports of
problems.
Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., cited cases in which post-traumatic stress
disorder didn't seem to be getting the proper diagnosis and treatment as
well as instances in which senior VA officials received hefty
performance bonuses even after they played a role in a major budget
shortfall.
"The focus now is the accountability," Filner said, in the briefing.
"Are they going to spend the right way? Are they going to break through
obstacles?"
A joint case management system was a key recommendation of a
presidential task force chaired by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson last month
to improve care following disclosures of poor outpatient treatment at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center. President Bush immediately ordered that
recommendation be implemented as well as others to cut down on paperwork
and red tape.
Testifying before the House panel, Stephen Jones, assistant defense
secretary for health affairs, and Gerald Cross, the VA's acting
principal deputy undersecretary for health, said the two departments had
just begun in contracting for an independent study to determine when and
how inpatient and other records could be best shared electronically.
Some systems for storing health data electronically within the Pentagon
might not be complete until 2012, they said.
Asked if they could say whether a fully operating joint system could be
in place in five years, Jones and Cross declined to say.
"I think on the DOD side, things are very territorial," Jones told the
House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on oversight.
That comment drew the ire of lawmakers from both parties. They said
improving Pentagon and VA coordination was a recommendation of previous
task forces as early as 2003. Bush last year also issued an executive
order that said agencies must adopt systems for sharing health records
electronically by the beginning of this year, they said.
Noting that the Pentagon and VA didn't comply with previous orders and
reports, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., expressed skepticism that the
agencies would be able fulfill Bush's latest directive involving
recommendations by Nicholson's task force, which include additional
screenings for brain injury.
"Secretary Nicholson thinks they're going to start a screening process.
It seems like you need information from DOD before you start the
screening," Stearns said. "I think it's a scandal this information has
not been transferred three years ago."
Nicholson will be testifying Wednesday before the full House committee
on ways to improve veterans care. Among the problems is the VA's backlog
of disability benefits claims, which currently range from 400,000 to
600,000 with delays averaging 177 days.
In his briefing, Filner said he was backing legislation by Rep. John
Hall, D-N.Y., that would freeze future VA bonuses until the backlog is
reduced to below 100,000 cases. He said he also wanted to see more VA
reports to Congress on the condition of VA facilities and work with
veterans groups to create citizen panels that could conduct site visits.
The VA has been working to hire additional case managers to reduce
delays. It also has defended its bonus awards to senior officials,
saying the $3.8 million in performance payments were needed to retain
longtime career employees.
On Tuesday, the VA also announced the creation of a new 17-member panel
made up of veterans and families to advise Nicholson on improving care.
It joins a presidential commission chaired by former Sen. Bob Dole,
R-Kan., and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala as
well as a slew of at least nine congressional committees now looking at
ways to improve troop and veterans care.
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Larry Scott --
