Keeping IT Brief Mary Ann Brown

The public focus of EHR modernization has been on configuring a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that blends all the requirements that are unique to the VA with a system that is widely used in the commercial sector. But equally or even more importantly, the VA needs to continue to invest in, maintain, and upgrade its current EHR – the Veterans Health Information System Technology Architecture (VistA).

Today we discuss these insights which are from a recent Federal News Network guest article authored by David Whitmer, FACHE, vice president for federal operations at DSS Inc. David also discusses how no matter what the outcome of the COTS solution, VistA will remain the vital backbone of VA operations.



David Whitmer, FACHE, Vice President for Federal Operations at DSS Inc.

Mr. Whitmer is the Vice President, Federal Operations at DSS Inc., and is a board-certified healthcare executive with 30 years of public health experience at the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Health Administration, including 20 years in C-suite positions, and 10 years as member of the Senior Executive Service.

DSS Inc.
Document Storage Systems, Inc. (DSS) is a catalyst for health care innovation, keeping pace with evolving technologies as a solutions provider, systems integrator, and services contractor to the Department of Veterans Affairs. DSS is committed to assisting VA in its High Reliability Organization journey and delivering care quality for Veterans by meeting top initiatives, changing regulatory requirements, and implementing enhanced business transformation across VA enterprise.

Every day in the United States, thousands of legitimate prescriptions for the opioid class of pharmaceuticals are written to mitigate acute pain during post-operation recovery, chronic back and neck pain, and a host of other cases where patients experience moderate-to-severe discomfort. While many of these drugs provide pain relief, the potential for misuse and outright abuse due to their addictive nature is extremely high.
Since the 1990s, opioid abuse in the U.S. skyrocketed to the point that in 2017 the Department of Health and Human Services declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency. This epidemic affects more than just individuals – families and communities, as well as the U.S. healthcare system at the federal, state, and local level, carry this burden emotionally and financially.
Solving this crisis can and should be supported by insights gained from the vast amounts of data available to healthcare providers and government agencies. The healthcare industry, in partnership with government agencies, must engage with a robust modern data management solution that can extract electronic health data in the form of controlled substance data, prescriber data, and patient data and transform it into meaningful, measurable, and actionable information.  Today we talk with Rob Carey, the President of Cloudera Government Solutions on this topic.

Rob Carey, President of Cloudera Government Solutions

As a highly recognized executive, Rob Carey leads the public sector team at Cloudera Government Solutions during a time in government when data-centric projects and digital transformation is of the utmost importance. As former U.S. Navy CIO and Deputy DOD CIO, Carey uses his 30+ years of federal experience to apply what’s needed to meet the standards for the future of IT modernization in government. He supports customers across the federal civilian and defense sector as they continue to navigate data-driven challenges and work to meet key White House directives.

Cloudera Government Solutions

Government agencies are faced with a multitude of challenges, including aging legacy systems, fraud and abuse, and sophisticated cyberattacks. More than ever, they need a proven platform that can securely manage their data. Cloudera Government Solutions addresses these challenges by simplifying data acquisition and delivery – providing public sector leaders with the insights they need to make better and more timely decisions.
Cloudera Government Solutions partners with federal, state and local, and higher education institutions to support data security and governance mandates, modernize data architectures across any platform, and meet the zero-trust mandate related to data flow. With customers across 40 global governments, Cloudera can accelerate data movement and digital transformation to accomplish your mission.

 

Dr. Richard Stone, Retired Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the US Army discusses how we as a nation can provide better medical care to our veterans during the next medical crisis, he looks into this and more in his memoir, "Save Every Life You Can".

Dr. Richard Stone, Retired Army Major General who served as the Deputy Surgeon General of the US Army, currently a Specialist Executive at Deloitte


Dr. Richard Stone has served in a myriad of leadership positions over his more than 40 years as a medical doctor. He is a combat experienced veteran, having served in Afghanistan during an Army career that culminated in his service as the US Army Deputy Surgeon General. Dr Stone was called back to Federal service as the Executive in Charge and Acting Under Secretary of the Veterans Health Administration, serving for more than three years as the leader of America’s largest health care system through the most challenging health crisis in more than one hundred years.

Dr. Stone’s book "Save Every Life You Can: A Reflection on Leadership and Saving Lives during the COVID-19 Pandemic" is a reflection on leadership and saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. This memoir describes the extraordinary challenges the Department of Veterans Affairs faced and the personal stories of his team as they worked against the clock in a pandemic unique in more than 100 years. It also describes the principles of leadership that informed and guided Dr. Stone, and his thoughts on what we learned as a nation about health care delivery as we prepare for the next once-in-a-hundred-year crisis. 

As of January 1, 2024, CMS implemented new policies for addressing health-related social needs (HRSN) to proactively treat and better understand the needs of our country's most underserved and chronically ill populations. These policies will support physicians that help patients identify and connect with the appropriate clinical and community resources to address unmet HRSN that may influence a patient's treatment.
Today we speak with Kamala Green, social drivers of health program manager at National Government Services, and we discuss as social, economic, and physical factors affecting patient health evolve and diversify, it's important that federal health agencies continue to prioritize health equity practices and initiatives to provide the highest quality of care possible for every citizen. 



Kamala Green, social drivers of health program manager at National Government Services, an Elevance Health Company
In her current position as the Social Drivers of Health Program Manager at National Government Services, Kamala assists with strategic design, implementation and evaluation of social drivers of health initiatives, where she partners to recommend initiatives related to unmet social needs, such as food, housing, legal support and income. Since joining NGS in November 2021, Kamala is instrumental in level setting and shaping the agenda for health equity and the social drivers of health (SDOH), specifically for Medicare.

National Government Services
For more than 50 years, National Government Services has been empowering federal healthcare agencies to improve lives and communities and deliver care to millions of Americans through outcome-driven innovation. The company helps bridge the technology gap to make IT an enabler of healthcare, not an obstacle to operations. Its core business areas include digital health, providing federal IT solutions and services for healthcare, and business process solutions. This includes its role as a Medicare contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

 

Today we speak with Erick Peters, Chief Technology Officer, and Jackie Ackerman, Vice President, Data and Analytics, of Cognosante on how healthcare agencies and departments can make smarter decisions and deliver improved citizen services through data sharing that’s powered by automation, AI, and data & analytics insights.

We deep dive into: 
How cloud, data, AI can remove boundaries between public health agencies and departments -- AND other agencies dependent on them How we lead with privacy and security, interoperability  How governance ensures data is reliable and accurate 
Erick Peters, Chief Technology Officer, Cognosante
Erick Peters is a technology-focused leader with over 25 years of experience in enterprise solution development, solution architecture, and information technology security. Erick leads technology teams to solve customers’ most difficult challenges, leveraging strategy, innovation, partnerships, and emerging trends. 

His leadership ensures Cognosante’s technology evolution results in innovative solution development across the organization’s service portfolio, which includes Healthcare Interoperability, Cloud, Cybersecurity, DevSecOps, Data Science, and Enterprise Architecture. The solutions the company develops help Federal and state organizations meet their missions to deliver critical customer programs built on a purposeful, tailored, and evolving foundation of proven and emerging technologies.

A Navy Veteran and a graduate of Nuclear Power School, Erick earned a Bachelor of Nuclear Engineering Technology and a Master of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park.


Jackie Ackerman, Vice President, Data and Analytics, Cognosante
Jackie Ackerman leads the Data and Analytics team at Cognosante, leveraging over 25 years of experience in military intelligence and civilian IT. With expertise in building and implementing modern cloud data solutions, she and her team transform data and drive interoperability for Federal and state government organizations. Her knowledge of data and analytics best practices, modern technologies, and proven intelligence techniques informs Cognosante’s innovative approach to delivering data as a product that solves complex problems.   

The Data team’s culture and approach to innovation led them to win the Snowflake Challenge by leveraging third-party healthcare data to predict virus spread and guide pre-emptive vaccine distribution. Her team also participated in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mission Daybreak Challenge with an analytics solution that identified at-risk Veterans prior to crisis and provides recommendations on best intervention timing and methods.

Cognosante
Passion. Purpose. Innovation. At Cognosante, we believe we can create a safer, healthier, more equitable nation for all. With an innovative mindset and unwavering dedication, we help healthcare, civilian and defense agencies deliver exceptional public services and programs. Our industry-leading technology and customer experience (CX) solutions bridge intentions and outcomes, solving critical challenges and creating meaningful change. Whether we are modernizing systems, enabling greater access to public benefits, or delivering mission-critical programs, we innovate with purpose, touching the lives of millions of people. For more information, visit cognosante.com. 

 

 The AIM-AHEAD program mission is to enhance the participation of underrepresented communities in the development of AI/ML models. The program improves the capabilities of this emerging technology, beginning with electronic health records (EHR) and extending to other diverse data to address health disparities and inequities.Today we speak with the CEO and Founder of stackArmor Gaurav "GP" Pal on their program.

Gaurav “GP” Pal, CEO and Founder of stackArmor
Gaurav “GP” Pal, CEO and Founder, has over 20 years of IT consulting experience with large US Government, Defense, and Commercial Organizations driving cloud adoption and implementing NIST security standards for FedRAMP, FISMA, and DFARS/CMMC 2.0 compliance.

GP’s countless industry and government relationships led stackArmor to establish an AI Risk Management Center of Excellence (CoE), comprised of former prominent federal government technology experts, including Maria Roat, Suzette Kent and Richard Spires. stackArmor and its CoE work closely with government to ensure safe AI adoption.

stackArmor
stackArmor provides FedRAMP, StateRAMP, DOD CC SRG, FISMA/RMF, and CMMC/DFARS compliance acceleration services on leading hyperscale cloud providers. stackArmor’s ATO for AI™ and ThreatAlert® ATO Accelerator Security Platform reduces the time and cost of an ATO by 40%. We serve enterprise customers in Defense, Aerospace, Space, Government, and Healthcare markets as well as ISV’s looking to offer cloud solutions for Government.