Federal Health IT Newsletter - Oct. 31
Improving Patient Care Hinges on Data Optimization, Security
As health agencies continue to modernize IT systems and improve data access, federal leaders are focusing on secure, proactive and scalable solutions to optimize their approach and improve patient care.
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) launched a new initiative that offers healthcare organizations a safe and speedy cyber solution to better defend their infrastructure from ransomware attacks and prevent patient care disruptions, while the FDA celebrated the annual refresh of its IT strategy. As the journey to a single, common federal electronic health record continues, the Defense Health Agency is targeting data optimization.
Protecting Medical Facilities from Ransomware
During a recent CyberCast , ARPA-H Resilient Systems Program Manager Andrew Carney explained how the agency’s Universal Patching Intermediation for Autonomous Defense (UPGRADE) program is protecting medical facilities from ransomware. Through this automatic process, proactive and scalable updates are delivered to their IT systems.
“With UPGRADE, we’re hopeful to create novel solutions that both automate this for under-resourced IT teams and provide confidence and prioritization to decision makers in a hospital or clinical environments,” Carney said.
FDA Celebrates Annual IT Strategy Refresh
FDA released its annual IT strategy refresh, which focuses on a budget-conscious infrastructure modernization plan. The agency’s CIO Vid Desai told GovCIO Media & Research the strategy aims to increase efficiency around tech spending.??
?“The main purpose is to reduce duplication and make better use of our dollars. We’re increasingly getting into a budget situation which is very challenging for the agency,” said Desai. “We’re now taking a much more strategic approach to budgeting, and it gives us a better view [of the long-term].”?
Defense Health Agency Eyes Patient Data Optimization
DHA is looking for ways to improve patient care by optimizing shared data after reaching “full deployment – 100% use of [common DOD record of medical and dental information] MHS Genesis,” Dr. Yvette Weber of the Program Executive Office, Defense Healthcare Management Systems (PEO DHMS) explained during an update on the federal electronic health record modernization (FEHRM) last month.?
“Deployment was our first priority, but optimization is where we’re headed into the future,” said Weber.?Interoperability remains top of mind for health agencies on the journey to a single, common federal EHR. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is making headway with its Immunization Information Systems Immunization Gateway (IIS), which makes digital immunization records more accessible for DHA and Veterans Affairs clinic patients.
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