VA EHR Rollout Brings ‘Interoperability at Its Best’ to Indiana

The Department of Veterans Affairs is deploying its electronic health record system at three Indiana facilities as part of its multiyear national rollout.

At the heart of the rollout is the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis, a regional health care hub serving about 62,000 veterans across central and northern Indiana.

The center is a tertiary care facility that provides advanced medical care, complex surgeries and specialized treatment, including cancer and cardiovascular care, Director Michael Hershman told GovCIO Media & Research at the facility Thursday during a launch ceremony. The go-live date for the sites is Aug. 22.

The launch of the EHR at Richard L. Roudebush and VA medical centers in Fort Wayne and Marion connects the facilities with other VA sites and health care partners across the country.

“It will connect us with our network partners,” Hershman told GovCIO Media & Research.

UX Improvements for Clinicians

A key feature of the EHR modernization is making medical data accessible on a single screen. That marks a significant change from the previous system, which required clinicians to navigate multiple screens and systems to find and share information.

The new system will allow staff to spend less time searching for information and more time with veterans, Hershman said. VA is also working to improve direct medical scheduling with regional network partners and Community Care providers to expand veterans’ access to care.

“Providers won’t have to spend time looking for information. They’re going to have access to it, whether it occurred in the Department of War, a community partner or if it occurred here,” he said.

A Hub and Spoke Model

The medical center also recently received funding to establish a cardiac network that will operate under a hub-and-spoke model, with Richard L. Roudebush serving as the hub for cardiac expertise across central Indiana.

The funding will also support plans for a new facility specializing in cardiac care and expansions of the center’s cancer and cardiovascular programs. Hershman said he hopes those expanded capabilities will draw veterans from across the region and beyond.

VA uses the hub-and-spoke model to extend specialized services such as cardiology and oncology across large geographic areas. Major medical centers like Richard L. Roudebush serve as hubs for specialized expertise, while smaller facilities and community-based outpatient clinics serve as spokes that connect veterans to those services closer to home.

The EHR supports that model by making patient information more readily available across facilities and providers.

Removing Barriers to Data Flow

The Indiana rollout also advances VA’s effort to standardize health data and improve interoperability across the federal health care ecosystem.

Hershman said the new system allows staff at his facility to access and share patient information with other VA facilities and health care partners across the region and country. Under the previous system, veterans and clinicians could face challenges quickly locating or accessing medical records when care occurred at different facilities.

“We’re knocking that wall down. Everybody’s going to have access to the record. It’s just going to speed things up,” Hershman said.

That interoperability also extends beyond VA. VA and the Department of War use the same underlying Oracle Health EHR platform, allowing health records to follow service members as they transition from military service to veteran status.

Hershman pointed to the example of a child born in a military hospital who later joins the military, completes their service and eventually becomes a veteran. Their health information can follow them throughout that journey rather than being fragmented across separate systems.

“It’s going to be seamless across the country. I call it interoperability at its best,” Hershman said.