GAO finds HIT deficiencies affecting patient care
Veterans' healthcare is being impacted by health IT deficiencies, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The GAO said the Veterans Administration (VA) has failed to update its 30-year-old outpatient appointment scheduling system, which does not allow VA staffers to view multiple screens simultaneously and often requires several keystrokes to complete tasks. The VA began attempts to replace the system in 2000 but halted the efforts because of oversight and project management deficiencies, according to the report.
GAO identified several other health IT challenges as well, including that the VA cannot quickly and efficiently share data with non-VA providers and its EHR system is not conducive to effective health data exchange when members of the military switch from the Department of Defense's medical system to the VA system.
Data sharing and other interoperability issues caused the VA to stop developing an IT system to allow surgical implant data to be electronically stored and accessed, preventing such data from being used to bolster patient safety. The VA has postponed its objective of increasing interoperability in its EHR system on multiple occasions, and the lack of interoperability increases health risks and affects the timeliness of treatments.
The GAO said it was crucial for VA to implement effective measures to protect patient data from potential cyberattacks.
Access the complete report.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.