By Judith Johnson-Mekota / Guest Column
As director of a VA Health Care System, I’m often asked two general questions: “Where is the VA headed,” and “what is most fulfilling about my role.”
I can honestly say that the rich history of VA service to veterans, the direction that VA is headed and the work we do to continually improve the health care we deliver is exactly what brings me fulfillment. I’m proud to work alongside a team of engaged health care professionals changing the face of medicine with a common mission to serve the veterans who have served us all.
With the variety of messages about VA in the media and with the current sociopolitical climate, it’s easy to overlook VA’s history of excellence and innovation in the health care industry and the capabilities and best practices it continues to influence today. VA pioneered the first electronic health care record. It was first to apply a barcoding system to medications to improve patient safety and inventory. It was the first to invent and successfully implant a cardiac pacemaker. VA pioneered concepts that led to the development of Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT scan).
There are, in fact, many firsts that VA is responsible for that have helped to shape modern health care; and with the size and scope of VA’s many data streams, we are uniquely positioned to be a leader in predictive data analytics, health care informatics and whole health population management.
At the Iowa City VA Health Care System, we are placing the patient at the center of their care and helping to navigate the many domains that impact and influence their health. In addition to traditionally treating symptoms and single issues, we are building multidisciplinary systems and processes to provide a whole health care journey map to our customers.
We are aligning patient health goals with the tools and services needed to accomplish those goals. To succeed, we are redefining how we interpret, and in some cases, collect our many streams of data. VA is exploring complex relationships between the needs of our patients, the efforts we’re making to meet them and the outcomes we’re able to influence.
Through better understanding of the scale, diversity, complexity and applicability of our data, we are gaining more comprehensive knowledge and greater predictability of the future care and services of patients. Through our data, we are defining the best ways to provide those services through resource realignments and enhanced community partnerships.
With the aid of veteran feedback and performance data, we are better defining a LEAN health care culture – promoting efficiency and eliminating waste in our care delivery models. Over the past three years, ICVAHCS has implemented hundreds of data-driven improvement projects with a wide array of benefits both to our veteran patients and to the American tax payer. We have improved automation in equipment and prosthetics ordering, decreased wait times for return calls, reduced errors in clinical orders and labeling, established direct scheduling in audiology and optometry, and created same-day clinic access in primary care, mental health and many specialty services.
Perhaps most importantly, we are working to grow the number of eligible veterans we provide care and services to across Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, and encourage all veterans to apply for health care by calling 1-(877) 222-VETS to receive more information about their eligibility status and to be a part of the transformation of health care quality and delivery.
“To care for those who have borne the battle” is a noble mission and ever present in our minds. I am proud of the Iowa City VA Health Care System’s continuing quest for excellence.
Judith Johnson-Mekota is director of the Iowa City VA Health Care System.
