Digital Government

DHS Launching Voluntary COVID-19 Contact Tracing Program

Employees will be able to self-report a positive diagnosis through the ServiceNow help desk and official contact tracers will follow up with anyone who might have been exposed.

Ideas

COVID-19 Revealed How Sick the U.S. Health Care Delivery System Really Is

In reality, the U.S. health care sector is not a system at all.

Emerging Tech

Veterans Affairs Department Expands 5G Footprint to Miami

The agency’s latest next-generation wireless network was recently deployed by T-Mobile.

Emerging Tech

Army Outfits Paratroopers with Wearables to Gauge Stress 

It’s all part of collaborative research leveraging military-centered, biometric data.

Ideas

How to Really Fix COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment Scheduling

The traditional vaccine sign-up model does not work when the demand for vaccines far exceeds supply.

Modernization

GAO Recommends VA Pause EHR Deployment to Resolve Issues

The Veterans Affairs Department told auditors it will move on with deployments while addressing test findings. 

Digital Government

DHS Taps California-Based Startup to Test Privacy in Contact Tracing Apps

It marks the first of multiple forthcoming awards through the department’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program.

Emerging Tech

VA Partners with AT&T to Extend its 5G Experimentation

A fresh installation was many months in the making, officials explained.

Modernization

Indian Health Service Seeks Input on Modernization Plan

The agency’s current IT work is guided by a strategic planning document that dates back to 2016.

Ideas

The Year Ahead: 3 Predictions From the ‘Father of the Internet’ Vint Cerf

With the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine being administered, a return to normal feels within reach but normal will change.

Emerging Tech

Pentagon Targets Emerging Smart Technologies to Pilot in 2021

Companies are invited to apply to present relevant products during a solutions meeting next spring.

Emerging Tech

The Evolution of Public Health

Driven by a global pandemic, federal agencies stepped up with new strategies and embraced new technical capabilities to combat the coronavirus and meet their missions. 

Emerging Tech

Robotic Surgeries Are Changing the Game Inside One VA Facility

More than 60 robotics-boosted surgical procedures were performed since March—and the program will likely expand in the next year.

Modernization

Bipartisan Cadre of Lawmakers Call for Permanent Telehealth Expansion

Telehealth has proved vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than four dozen lawmakers want to see maximized moving forward.

Artificial Intelligence

GAO: AI Promising in Health Care, but Challenges Remain

The nascent technology is leading to positive health care outcomes, but issues may impede widespread adoption.

Emerging Tech

VA Moves to Expand Its 5G Experimentation 

One of the agency’s senior innovators shed light on what’s to come—and how existing 5G pursuits have paid off in the pandemic. 

Emerging Tech

COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium Shifts Focus to Patient Outcomes

In its second phase, the supercomputing group will prioritize projects that offer to help coronavirus patients in the near future.

Ideas

5 Ways to Improve Emergency Preparedness for Next Time

A permanent team that is focused solely on national preparation and ensuring that the relevant federal agencies are all on the same page should coordinate all five of these components.

Artificial Intelligence

Homeland Security’s Small Business Program Will Focus on Viruses, Security and Networks in 2021

The Small Business Innovation Research program identified 12 tentative topics as priorities for the coming year.