IT Modernization

VA Lacks Goals to Assess Satisfaction With New EHR, Watchdog Finds

The report from the Government Accountability Office found that the absence of such goals has limited the agency’s ability to “objectively measure progress toward improving EHRM users’ satisfaction.”

2 Agencies Still Behind on Years-Old Legacy IT Recommendations, Watchdog Finds 

Despite some agencies making significant progress, the Transportation Department and the Office of Personnel Management have not fully implemented the watchdog’s prior recommendations.

House Lawmakers Lambast EHR Rollout Over Pharmacy Problems

Both witnesses and lawmakers agreed that the Oracle Cerner EHR system at its current state is not satisfactory—but disagreed over how to fix it.

Pentagon CIO Touts ‘Pipeline’ of JWCC Task Orders and Future Zero Trust Options 

Pentagon tech chief John Sherman said the new Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability contract will be part of a “choose your own adventure” strategy for zero trust adoption in the Defense Department. 

GSA Pilots New Platform for Multiple Award Schedule Contractors

The new platform will make it easier for contractors to update their catalogs on the agency’s central purchasing website and will eventually replace the Schedule Input Program.

House Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Reform VA’s EHR Program

The bipartisan proposal would require VA to prioritize system improvements at the five medical facilities currently using the new software before deploying it at any additional sites.

VA Pauses Future EHR Deployments Under ‘Larger Program Reset’

The Department of Veterans Affairs said it plans to delay future rollouts of the new EHR system until it is confident that the software “is highly functioning at current sites and ready to deliver for veterans and VA clinicians at future sites.”

House Lawmakers Coalesce Around Bipartisan Fixes to VA’s EHR System

The top Democrat and Republican on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee have started bipartisan negotiations to address the Department of Veterans Affairs’ troubled rollout of its new electronic health record system.

Congress's Competing Proposals to Fix VA's Ailing EHR Program

Top lawmakers tasked with overseeing the Department of Veterans Affairs have introduced competing bills to enhance oversight of VA’s new electronic health record system.

Space Force Has a Major Satellite Oversight Problem, GAO Says

The government’s network of land-based satellite antennas is facing growing usage demands, but Space Force has not updated the system’s support operations plan since it took over control of the program in 2019.

National Park Service Considers a Digital Park Pass

Making a digital option for the American the Beautiful pass series that would live on mobile phone wallets is a goal of a new bill that would require digital passes in February.

DOD’s IT Modernization Efforts Need Data Analytics, Workforce Upskilling

The latest report from the Government Accountability underscores Defense’s ongoing need to leverage resources, personnel, and performance markers to successfully modernize its IT infrastructure.

VHA's $8.5M Emergency Comms System Largely Inoperable, OIG Finds

An audit conducted by VA’s Office of Inspector General found that an estimated 80% of the emergency communications systems deployed at 184 VA medical facilities are “not fully operational.”

Treasury Seeks Automated Software Testing and Lifecycle Management Tools

The agency is looking to move away from manual testing and instead use automated testing for reusable scripts and to track tests.

VA Again Delays Rollout of New Electronic Health Record System

The Department of Veterans Affairs, which announced last October it was pausing rollouts of its new EHR system until June 2023, said it “is not yet ready” to move forward with the software’s scheduled deployment at the VA Saginaw Healthcare System.

Top Republican Moves to Block VA’s EHR Deployment Until Improvements Are Made 

A dozen GOP senators—including the ranking member of a key committee—signed on to the bill.

MITRE Recommends Comprehensive Approach to Modernize Legacy Systems

The recommendations focus on executable actions for the Office of Management and Budget, agencies, Congress and industry .