VA Goes Live in Ohio With Scheduling Tool, Part of EHR Modernization Effort

Aug. 24, 2020

Officials call the platform an “all-in-one” appointment management solution

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has gone live with the first component of its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) effort, launching an appointment scheduling tool on Aug. 21 at the VA Central Ohio Healthcare System.

Officials called the scheduling tool a critical component of the EHR modernization project. The Centralized Scheduling Solution (CSS) will eventually be implemented at all VA health facilities to expedite patient-care coordination throughout the department, they added.

After delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the VA recently revised its previous schedule to convert facilities to its new EHR capabilities with an updated goal of and October implementation for the first deployment in Spokane, Wash. The effort in Washington State is part of the VA’s initiative to replace the department’s 40-year-old legacy EHR system, the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA), by adopting the same platform as the DOD, a Cerner EHR system. The contract between the VA and Cerner, signed in May 2018, started with a $10 billion price tag, but recent estimates have pushed that up to over $16 billion.

According to VA officials, the department’s current scheduling solutions require VA staff to log in to multiple software applications to coordinate calendars, clinicians, rooms and equipment. This process requires time-intensive manual data entry and workarounds to finalize appointments, they noted.

CSS will address these challenges by providing an “all-in-one” appointment management solution that offers scheduling by resource (e.g., clinician, room, equipment), simple color-coded time slots and a single view for coordinating schedules across multiple locations, VA leaders contend.

“VA has delivered an enhanced scheduling system that will benefit Veterans and health care providers,” said Acting VA Deputy Secretary Pamela Powers, who has oversight of VA’s EHRM program. “This is another successful launch of a major milestone in the EHRM effort and will optimize veterans’ access to healthcare by improving appointment scheduling. CSS also provides an efficient and transparent method of identifying and eliminating double bookings, flagging canceled appointments and maximizing provider time spent with patients.”

The ultimate goal upon full implementation at all sites, VA says, is that the new EHR will unify all VA healthcare facilities into one system linked with the DOD. “This modernization effort will create a comprehensive health record to provide seamless care for service members and veterans,” officials stated.