Harris Will Upgrade Surgical Workflow Technology for U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded Harris Corporation, an international communications and information technology company, a five-year, $54.9M contract to integrate a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) surgical workflow management software that is intended to reduce surgery wait times and cancellations, increase patient throughput, and improve the overall surgical experience for veterans and their families. The Surgical Quality and Workflow Manager (SQWM) program represents the first time the VA has used a COTS solution for a clinical information system that is utilized enterprise-wide. SQWM will improve the end-to-end workflow for surgeons, nurses and support staff by automating many clinical and administrative surgical tasks, including scheduling, accessing the patient's profile, ordering tests and tracking surgical assets. The SQWM solution also will enhance the patient and family member experience by improving access to information during the surgery cycle. The Harris team will install and operate the SQWM solution in 21 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN) and all 130 VA hospitals performing surgery, supporting approximately 400,000 cases per year and approximately 6,000 surgeons. The Harris solution will ensure that the VA's disparate surgical systems will be able to interface seamlessly and allow for future software upgrades and enhancements. The SQWM program is part of the VA's Enhance the Veteran Experience and Access to Healthcare (EVEAH) initiative, a global VA effort to ensure all Veterans receive the healthcare they have earned through their service. To meet the VA's request to use a COTS software product, Harris will use General Electric's industry-leading Surgical Information System for its solution.