Eric Shinseki

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VA to Kick Off Hunt For New Patient Scheduling System Next Month

Jack Moore | Nextgov | August 26, 2014

The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a “cutting-edge” commercial, off-the-shelf scheduling system to replace the clunky legacy module that helped mire the agency in controversy over long wait times faced by veterans seeking care. By the end of September, VA plans to issue a solicitation for a new system to manage the scheduling of veterans’ medical appointments. Read More »

3 Ways DoD And VA Are Accelerating Patient Data Exchange Via iEHR

Tom Sullivan | Government Health IT | February 6, 2013

Whereas the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are working toward a joint iEHR that would, come 2017, wrap all patient data into a single record accessible to clinicians in both departments, DoD Secretary Leon Panetta and VA’s Secretary Eric Shinseki pushed their staffs to accelerate data exchange and interoperability where they can now, rather than waiting. Read More »

A 40-Year 'Conspiracy' at the VA

Arthur Allen | Politico | March 19, 2017

Four decades ago, in 1977, a conspiracy began bubbling up from the basements of the vast network of hospitals belonging to the Veterans Administration. Across the country, software geeks and doctors were puzzling out how they could make medical care better with these new devices called personal computers. Working sometimes at night or in their spare time, they started to cobble together a system that helped doctors organize their prescriptions, their CAT scans and patient notes, and to share their experiences electronically to help improve care for veterans...

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Another Senior VA Official Steps Down

Patrick Dickson | Stars and Stripes | April 29, 2013

Veterans Affairs deputy secretary W. Scott Gould has resigned. The news was first reported by Federal News Radio. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki put out a statement via the department’s web site... Read More »

As VA Backlog Grows, Congress, Veterans Grow Weary Of Excuses

Bill Briggs | NBC | February 27, 2013

With most veterans waiting nine months for the Department of Veterans Affairs to process disability claims, a congressional panel Wednesday chastised the VA and the Department of Defense for each breaking four years of vows to merge all troops’ medical records into a single electronic system to help crack that backlog. Read More »

Background On The National Conference On Mental Health

Press Release | White House | June 3, 2013

On Monday, June 3rd, President Obama and Vice President Biden will host a National Conference on Mental Health at the White House as part of the Administration’s effort to launch a national conversation to increase understanding and awareness about mental health. Read More »

Baker Leaves VA With A Sharper Focus On IT

David Stegon | FedScoop | February 18, 2013

There are many federal information technology events that happen in Washington, D.C., but few are truly memorable. One of those was the morning of Oct. 8, 2009, when Roger Baker [...] took to the stage at an INPUT event in Tysons Corner to a standing room crowd of more than 700 industry executives just to see him talk. Read More »

Before Privatizing The VA, Publicize It

Leah Binder | The Health Care Blog | June 1, 2014

The Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital scandal has policymakers calling for VA Secretary Eric Shinseki’s head, and this week they got it, when President Obama accepted the Secretary’s resignation...

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Beyond the theatrics of the VA wait-list scandal

Merrill Goozner | Modern Healthcare | May 24, 2014

The spin cycle of a Washington scandal, once set in motion, is more entertaining to watch than clothes washing at the local laundromat, even though the latter is better at cleaning up a mess. Read More »

Bipartisan Bill Would Slash iEHR Funding

Erin McCann | Government Health IT | May 16, 2013

Members of Congress are lauding a bipartisan bill that limits funding for an integrated electronic health record system between VA and DoD and requires aggressive progress updates from both agencies, which have, in recent months, come under fire for the dilatory pace at which they're moving forward with the iEHR. Read More »

Blue Button For America

Matthew McCall and Henry Wei | VAntage Point | February 5, 2013

In August 2010, President Obama announced the Blue Button in a speech to the national convention of Disabled American Veterans.  In his remarks, he said that “for the first time ever Veterans will be able to go to the VA website, click a simple Blue Button, and download or print your personal health records so you have that when you need them and can share that with your doctors outside of the VA.” Read More »

Blue Button Reaches One Million Registered Patients

Press Release | Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) | August 31, 2012

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that, during the month of August, the one millionth patient has registered for Blue Button to access and download their Personal Health Record (PHR) information. “Since President Obama announced the availability of Blue Button two years ago, VA has worked tirelessly with our sister agencies to make online access to personal health records convenient, reliable, and safe.  I am very pleased with our progress,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. Read More »

Boehner Says US Veterans' Claims System Is Broken

Lisa Cornwell | Yahoo! News | February 22, 2013

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner said the system for handling veterans' disability claims is broken and he wants the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs to explain what is being done to fix it. Read More »

Budget Plan Gives VA Big Funding Boost For Veterans Care

Patricia Kime | Marine Corps Times | April 10, 2013

The Veterans Affairs Department does not appear to be feeling the pinch of fiscal austerity in President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal: The White House has proposed a 10.2 percent boost in funding for VA next year, totaling $66.5 billion in discretionary spending. Read More »

Bulk Of Wasted DOD, VA iEHR Money Went To Support Contracts

Jennifer Bresnick | EHR Intelligence | November 25, 2013

Think Epic implementation is a costly prospect?  How about spending $1.1 billion on a joint Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs EHR that never even got off the ground? Read More »