Jeff Miller
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Shinseki Wants A Budget For The VA
Veterans will still receive medical and hospital care no matter how long the federal government is shut down, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told lawmakers, but funding for benefits and other programs may run out in November, threatening veterans’ financial health. Read More »
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Sixty-Seven Senators Urge Obama To Resolve VA Claims Backlog
More than two-thirds of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to President Obama Monday urging his “direct and public involvement” to end the Veterans Affairs Department’s disability claims backlog. Read More »
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Smaller Deal On E-Health Record Angers Capitol Hill
The Obama administration pared back its plan to develop a single, integrated, electronic health- record system for the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs due to shrinking defense budgets and rising costs. Read More »
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Tricare Networks Eyed To Improve Veterans' Access To Care
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has proposed opening military Tricare networks of civilian health care providers to veterans who can’t get timely mental health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Read More »
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Unhappy Lawmakers Take Aim At VA, DoD Plans To Nix Joint EHR
After the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense announced plans to scale back costs by scrapping plans to create an entirely new EHR system shared between the two organizations, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed disappointment and frustration... Read More »
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VA And Defense Dept. Began Paying For New Records System While Still Funding Abandoned One
Members of Congress have been demanding for years that the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) work together so the records of military personnel could be seamlessly shared between the two agencies, and that veterans could avoid paperwork problems that delay receiving health and disability benefits... Read More »
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VA And DoD’s Reversal On Electronic Health Records Criticized
The decision this month by the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to scrap plans to create a single electronic health record came under renewed attack Wednesday on Capitol Hill as the Government Accountability Office questioned the departments’ assertion that the action will enable them to deliver improved health care more quickly and for less money. Read More »
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VA and VistA: Can they be fixed?
pivoting away from VistA, the agency's homegrown electronic health record system, would be a major shift for the VA. Former VA CIO Roger Baker said VistA is the only EHR designed by doctors, not technologists. "That is the real power of VistA, and it remains the real power of VistA," he added. The system, rooted in 1970s code, is designed to assist doctors in their daily work. Providers at the various VA medical facilities nationwide customize it for their specific needs.
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VA and VistA: Can They Be Fixed?
The Department of Veterans Affairs is rushing to make changes to its IT infrastructure and systems before the next administration enters the White House. And skeptical lawmakers, oversight bodies and outside experts are cautiously optimistic about the eventual outcomes. The key words, though, are "cautiously" and "eventual"...
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VA Begins Process To Remove Official At Center Of FedBid Scandal
Less than a week after the Energy Department withdrew an offer of employment to Susan Taylor, the Veterans Health Administration’s deputy chief procurement officer at the center of a procurement scandal involving FedBid, the VA announced Monday it has started the formal process of removing Taylor from her position at the agency...
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VA CIO Baker Responds To Decision To Scrap iEHR At Hearing
Before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, outgoing Chief Information Officer for VA Roger Baker provided testimony and responded to questions from committee members regarding the decision on the part of the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to scrap its efforts with the joint integrated EHR (iEHR). Read More »
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VA CIO Clarifies Plans For iEHR
In the wake of criticism following news last week that the Departments of Veterans and Defense will abandon plans to build a joint electronic health record system from the ground up, VA CIO Roger Baker is clarifying that the two departments still plan to create a joint record. Read More »
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VA Downplays Claims Computers Being Taken Offline
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ new claims processing system was taken offline for repairs this week, raising more questions about the department’s long-term plans to break the claims backlog. Read More »
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VA Eliminates Bonuses For Benefits Officials
Senior executives of the Veterans Benefits Administration will not receive 2012 performance bonuses and the funds will be invested to accelerate elimination of the disability claims backlog, according to the Veterans Affairs Department. Read More »
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VA Halts All Software Development
The Veterans Affairs Department halted all software development Tuesday, including work on its $491 million paperless Veterans Benefits Management System. The news came a day after the department furloughed 2,754 information technology employees due to the lapse in appropriations. Read More »
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