Author Archive
Modernization
House panel subpoenas Oracle heads over VA health record overhaul’s ballooning costs
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted 19-0 to subpoena Oracle Chairman and Co-founder Larry Ellison and Oracle CEO Mike Sicilia after VA announced plans to boost its contract with the tech giant by $17 billion.
Acquisition
CMS taps Mathematica, Deloitte to improve effectiveness of its healthcare models
An agency spokesperson said the four-year Learning Insights for Action project “will enable CMS to efficiently target resources across models with varying periods of performance and support cross-model learning.”
Artificial Intelligence
National Archives says agencies’ AI use does not automatically create federal records
New guidance from the National Archives and Records Administration outlines when agencies should preserve AI-related materials as federal records and notes there is no “one size fits all” approach to doing so.
Policy
Lawmakers call for watchdog review of Transportation’s passenger privacy practices
The Department of Transportation “has never taken a single enforcement action related to privacy,” Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, said in a letter to the Government Accountability Office.
Emerging Tech
White House space transportation policy calls for integration with air traffic control modernization
The guidance directs the Transportation Department and other agencies to “implement a plan to integrate space launch and reentry management into airspace and traffic control modernization efforts.”
Modernization
VA deploys new EHR at 3 Indiana-based medical facilities
The latest round of go-lives brings the total number of site rollouts this year to 11.
Modernization
VA boosts EHR modernization contract with Oracle by $17B
The modified agreement raises the contract’s total value to just under $27 billion.
Policy
White House S&T strategy calls for new approaches to safeguard US research
The new guidance says the U.S. "will further strengthen its workforce by attracting and retaining top-tier global talent in critical national security S&T fields” — a departure from last year’s National Security Strategy that said global talent “undercuts American workers.”
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Leveraging AI for environmental evaluations; crafting a report on China’s AI ecosystem; and more
Recently proposals look, in part, to deploy artificial intelligence solutions to prevent natural disasters from impeding U.S. military operations and evaluate China’s AI chip manufacturing sector.
Modernization
VA seeks to extend its Oracle health record contract through 2031
“This action is necessary to continue [electronic health record modernization] deployment activities and associated support services until all VA Medical Centers (VAMCs) and related facilities have fully transitioned to the EHR system,” the department said in a Sam.gov solicitation notice.
Modernization
Oversight and program management gaps slowing VA’s benefits processing system modernization, OIG says
The watchdog said cost estimate and project planning issues are among the top factors afflicting VA’s overhaul of its legacy Benefits Enterprise Platform.
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Policy
Senate’s short-term funding bill provides temporary extensions for TMF, cyber data-sharing law
The continuing resolution that overwhelmingly passed the upper chamber this weekend would push the federal government’s funding deadline until Dec. 11.
Digital Government
GSA’s digital roadmap looks to enhance agencies’ services, CIO says
Efforts to speed up adoption of new capabilities have “disrupted the longstanding practice of how technology is driven into this government,” GSA CIO Dave Shive told Nextgov/FCW.
Artificial Intelligence
White House’s new high-risk life sciences policy calls for monitoring AI dangers
“The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will convene an interagency group to monitor advancements at the intersection of biological sciences and artificial intelligence, including in silico life sciences research,” the guidance says.
Acquisition
Pentagon awards Oracle up to $7B in software consolidation deal
The agreement merges Oracle's product and licensing services into one contract, which the Defense Department estimates will result in at least $441 million in savings.
Acquisition
Acquisition overhaul is providing needed ‘discretion’ for tech adoption, procurement chief says
“If it's not in the FAR, and it doesn't tell you you can't do it, then you should consider it,” Office of Federal Procurement Policy Administrator Kevin Rhodes said.
Artificial Intelligence
GOP Financial Services report cites AI as both fraud accelerator and preventer
With AI playing a more prominent role in the scammer’s playbook, the report says “the counter to this is ensuring that those empowered to prevent and respond to fraud and scams — namely public and private sector entities — deploy the same tools.”
Emerging Tech
VA expands use of extended reality tech across healthcare operations
Anne Lord Bailey, who leads VA’s Strategic Initiatives Lab, said veterans who have used immersive tech have reported therapeutic benefits that extend beyond the conditions being treated by the headsets.
Artificial Intelligence
Transportation looks to AI to accelerate its modernization initiatives
Steven Bradbury, the agency’s deputy secretary, said AI has helped Transportation slash its software production timeline from 18 months down to 18 weeks.
Acquisition
IARPA launches new acquisition marketplace
The IARPA Solutions Marketplace is designed to help the intelligence community more rapidly procure innovative products from industry.
