VA IT Problems: How Many More?

I reported today on the suspension of a botched, eight-year effort to develop a new patient appointment scheduling application at the Veterans Affairs Department, and I have a hunch that is just one of potentially many VA IT projects in real trouble.

That hunch is based on the last page of the March 20 internal memo from Dr. Michael Kussman, under secretary for health for the Veterans Health Administration, to Stephen Warren, VA acting assistant secretary for information and technology about problems with the system.

Kussman wrote:

"The number of programs we see and hear being [about] delayed makes it evident that we need to be proactive by conducting immediately an end-to-end status check of all our development programs."

I hope when they are done, either Kussman or Warren sends me the memo.

One project that seems to need immediate attention according to Kussman is a critter called the Pharmacy Re-Engineering 0.5 Order Check Enhancement Project. Kussman told Warren, "As you know, any delay in this program has severe safety implications," but he did not elaborate.

I have asked VA to explain to me what the Pharmacy Re-Engineering 0.5 Order Check Enhancement Project is supposed to do and the safety implications of not doing it. I hope to report back in a day or two. Meanwhile, get your meds at Walgreens.

Kussman also dealt with one key issue in his memo that has nothing to do with patient care or safety, but a lot with the bureaucracy: "Finally, we need a clear communication plan for how we tell the story both inside and outside VA," he told Warren.

That probably includes informing VA Secretary Eric Shinseki of problems with the scheduling application, which Kussman said, "We need top do at once."

But I'm told that as of Tuesday morning no notification had been made, 11 days after the memo was written.