Creating a Culture of Change Begins with Technology, Workforce

Despite their differing missions, the Defense Health Agency and General Services Administration share many efforts to improve the IT infrastructure of their respective agencies.
One focus of DHA’s IT modernization efforts is interoperability, particularly in management and administration, said DHA Assistant Director for Combat Support Maj. Gen. Lee E. Payne at the GovernmentCIO Tech Futures event May 9. MHS Genesis, DHA’s new electronic health record, was also purchased by the VA in 2017. Payne noted the significance in which having DHA and VA use the same record has on daily operations.
“The fact that 60% of our care is done in the network … we need to get that information to our clinicians as we move patients in and out of the network care.” An electronic health record should be used as a tool rather than a barrier to safe, high-quality care, he added.
Additionally, the impact the two agencies could have on the greater healthcare system is apparent, Payne noted.
“When we get finished with this, both in the DOD and the VA, 20 million beneficiaries will be under our care,” he said. “We’re not only going to be able to influence the health care record marketplace, we’re going to influence the medical device marketplace, and I believe we may have a chance to influence healthcare in this nation.”
The VA is also moving in the direction of adopting the Medical Community of Interest (Med-COI), a virtual private network service provided by DISA, which DHA is pushing across the DOD enterprise to all of its facilities.
Another aspect of interoperability relies on standardization. Payne echoed the words of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, “Rigorous adherence to standards unlocks creativity and innovation.” In other words, Payne said, “If you don’t know where your process is or where your workflow is … it’s really challenging to improve it.”
While standardizing the DHA workflow, “so much unwanted variation” was discovered among hospitals and services. Payne emphasized that workflows must be the same in a cloud-based system. Eventually, all of the agency’s data along with the VA’s will be in a platform called Healthy Intent within Cerner Millennium, the medical suite application of MHS Genesis.
GSA is also looking at cloud acceleration, in addition to what Deputy CIO Beth Killoran believes are the “true technology accelerator:” artificial intelligence and machine learning. She explained robotic process automation isn’t the answer “because that’s really helping to modify and automate your business process.”
Killoran uttered what many advocates for emerging tech have in regard to AI and machine learning. “How are we looking at technology … to do your low-value work, the things that maybe are taking a good chunk of your time today, but really [are] not adding value to your life or not adding value to the overall mission?”
By evaluating this question and implementing new technologies into a workflow, organizations can relieve employees of administrative or other burdens that take away time and energy from their analytical work.
When it comes to integrating new technologies at GSA, the agency operates according to the “fail fast, fail forward” Silicon Valley-inspired mantra.
“At GSA, that’s really where we have been investing and looking at … figuring out how we start pockets, build on some pilots and some initial projects and technology that we can, learn from it, and then catapult very quickly forward,” said Killoran.
At the core of change implementation, however, is workforce training. Both Payne and Killoran agreed there can never be enough change management and training within an organization.
“It’s about communication. It’s about sharing information with key stakeholders and making sure you’re touching all the right people. So, we’re redoubling our efforts on change management,” said Payne. DHA has found training by means of peer experts to be an effective method.
Killoran acknowledged that not all employees will be on board with changing the technology system they use to conduct their work, but they cannot be left behind or else the system of change won’t sustain.
“There’s got to be different levels of engagements based on the populations. And having some of those folks that are both, at the early adopters and at the far end, the laggards, having them part of those requirements, the testing and the actual process to move it forward will actually make a cultural shift,” she said.
This is a carousel with manually rotating slides. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate or jump to a slide with the slide dots
-
Inside DOD’s Push to Grow the Cyber Workforce Through Academia
Diba Hadi gives her first interview since becoming principal director of the DOD’s Cyber Academic Engagement Office.
15m listen -
Agencies Tackle Infrastructure Challenges to Drive AI Adoption
Federal agencies are rethinking data strategies and IT modernization to drive mission impact and operational efficiency as new presidential directives guide next steps.
5m read Partner Content -
Generative AI Demands Federal Workforce Readiness, Officials Say
NASA and DOI outline new generative AI use cases and stress that successful AI adoption depends on strong change management.
6m read -
The Next AI Wave Requires Stronger Cyber Defenses, Data Management
IT officials warn of new vulnerabilities posed by AI as agencies continue to leverage the tech to boost operational efficiency.
5m read -
Federal CIOs Push for ROI-Focused Modernization to Advance Mission Goals
CIOs focus on return on investment, data governance and application modernization to drive mission outcomes as agencies adopt new tech tools.
4m read -
Fed Efficiency Drive Includes Code-Sharing Law, Metahumans
By reusing existing code instead of rewriting it, agencies could dramatically cut costs under the soon-to-be-enacted SHARE IT Act.
5m read -
Agencies Push Data-Driven Acquisition Reforms to Boost Efficiency
New initiatives aim to increase visibility of agency spending, improve data quality and create avenues to deploy solutions across government.
5m read -
Data Transparency Essential to Government Reform, Rep. Sessions Says
Co-Chair of the Congressional DOGE Caucus Rep. Pete Sessions calls for data sharing and partnerships to reduce waste and improve efficiency.
5m read -
DOD Turns to Skills-Based Hiring to Build Next-Gen Cyber Workforce
Mark Gorak discusses DOD’s efforts to build a diverse cyber workforce, including skills-based hiring and partnerships with over 480 schools.
20m listen -
AI Foundations Driving Government Efficiency
Federal agencies are modernizing systems, managing risk and building trust to scale responsible AI and drive government efficiency.
40m watch -
Trump Executive Order Boosts HBCUs Role in Building Federal Tech Workforce
The executive order empowers HBCUs to develop tech talent pipelines and expand access to federal workforce opportunities.
3m read -
Navy Memo Maps Tech Priorities for the Future Fight
Acting CTO’s memo outlines critical investment areas, from AI and quantum to cyber and space, as part of an accelerated modernization push.
5m read