VA Leadership to Be ‘Very Transparent’ on Healthcare and Other IT Initiatives

A major part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ modernization plans includes jump-starting improved health care technology for participating veterans, Kurt DelBene, the VA’s assistant secretary for Information and Technology and chief information officer told members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs on Wednesday. DelBene addressed the notorious delay in the electronic health records rollout, saying that challenges are fundamentally integral to widespread software overhauls.

Responding to a question posed by Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Ill., DelBene said agency leadership aims to be “very transparent” regarding EHR rollouts and potential delays. 

“You know any of these large software development projects…they move in a direction…we change over time and we adjust,” he explained. DelBene added that the VA will be open with Congress about its struggles with EHR rollout efforts to encourage agency and legislative collaboration. This partnership will be “critical” over time as potential future legislation and regulations stand to impact the pending health portal.

He also confirmed that the VA is currently developing a “VA profile” for its veterans. This system will contain critical data like demographic information on users. DelBene said that the VA will need a strong data architecture in place to support user-centric technologies. 

These profiles do not have a specific deployment timeline, though DelBene added that some capabilities are internally available within the department. He noted that the most important factor for VA profiles is for users to be able to self-select their individual demographic information, such as race and gender.

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., questioned how the VA’s future initiatives will ensure the agency is awarding contracts based solely on merit.

DelBene responded by saying that the VA is focusing on efficiency within contractors’ proposals and giving smaller contractors the same opportunity as larger partners to drive diversity and improved deliverables.

“Across the board, I think it comes down to holding to a higher standard,” DelBene said, adding that the agency intends to partner with Congress on future projects.

“As new veterans legislation is enacted…we need to make sure that the necessary IT resources are provided,” DelBene testified. “I believe the VA modernization projects…for them to be successful, they must start with a clear vision, articulated research or adequate resources and development plan success metrics, and strong collaborative partnerships with all stakeholders and that includes members of Congress.”