As Deputy Director of OHIL, Dr. Beth Ripley oversees strategic operations to advance innovation efforts across the VHA. Dr. Ripley is a leader in the expansion of 3D printing technology capabilities and applications across VHA and serves as the Enterprise Lead for the VHA 3D Printing Network Initiative, Director for VA Ventures, and Chair for the VHA 3D Printing Advisory Committee. She also plays a key role in OHIL’s XLabs initiative, which is an innovation hub designed to bring promising research into real implementation for veterans.

This July, Dr. Ripley will be a key speaker at IDGA’s VA Healthcare Summit, where she will be presenting both on advanced manufacturing for prosthetics, and provide an update on OHIL’s XLabs program. Before Dr. Ripley arrives in DC this summer, she sat down with IDGA to discuss these key initiatives for OHIL.

This March, Congress passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, which lays out funding for federal agencies including the Department of Veteran Affairs. As outlined in the bill, Congress is appropriating $420.7 billion to the VA in FY 2026. The funding figures outlined in this infographic become available to the VA on October 1, 2025.

The Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) healthcare program provides more than 9 million American veterans healthcare through its 1,255 healthcare facilities. As the largest integrated healthcare network in the U.S., the VHA faces the tall order of managing the health records of millions of veterans.

This report looks at the value Electronic Health Records (EHR) provide the VA and provides a timeline of the agency's efforts to implement EHR across its healthcare network.

This case study, provided by Datapipe, discusses how the U.S. Federal Government imposed changes to health care reimbursements, and how these new mandates propelled Presidio to transform their business model into a more technology-enabled services company. In Datapipe, Presidio found a trusted guide to provide an end-to-end solution for cloud computing and colocation while addressing PCI and HIPAA compliance needs. Datapipe meets all FISMA moderate controls and FedRAMP requirements andis uniquely positioned for the needs of government through award-winning customer service, best of breed IT management applications, and next generation global data centers. Gartner positions Datapipe in the Leaders Quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Enabled Managed Hosting, North America and in the Visionaries Quadrant of the 2015 Magic Quadrant for Cloud-Enabled Managed Hosting, Asia Pacific. Recognition is based on Datapipe’s completeness of vision and ability to execute.

All Active Federal Employees, to include Employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, will be granted free admission to our event. However, in order to logistically support this event, we require all registrations to be completed by May 9, 2017.

Additionally, a $99 “No Show” fee will be applied if you do not attend without prior cancellation. This fee covers incurred costs from venue, food and beverage etc.

• Please note that you must register using your .mil/.gov email address
• All registrations using a personal email address will be cancelled
• Those who are not qualified as an active federal employee will be cancelled

For questions, please email enquiry@iqpc.com or call 1-800-882-8684.

Does your headache treatment plan include targeted thermal therapy? Evidence for thermal therapy application as primary or adjunctive headache relief.

West Tennessee Healthcare, a public, not-for-profit healthcare system participated in a glycemic control program to improve patient safety, care quality and patient health, while reducing the cost of care, average length of stay (ALOS) and hyperglycemic and diabetic patient readmissions.

Medical Center leveraged McKesson Analytics Explorer™ to develop a readmission risk dashboard to provide access to key data at a glance. The
solution helped to automate the process of finding patients at high risk for readmission, where the opportunity for improvement was greatest. Tracking these patients’ experiences enabled Medical Center to analyze the effect of transitional care on readmission rates as well as patient satisfaction and overall costs.

In the following exclusive interview, LTC Michael Cepe, Executive Officer of the Warrior Transition Battalion, examines the diagnosis of those enrolled in the battalion, and explores the various educational, physical, and career initiatives available to the warriors, and how this assists with rehabilitation and reintegration. Through a  ‘Triad of Patient Care,’ soldier/patients are ‘transitioning’ to restore their health in order to return to service, or due to medical prognosis, will rehabilitate into civilian life.

Our society's overuse of opiates while failing to manage chronic pain has necessitated a paradigm shift in the way that we treat it. After exhaustive analysis, the DOD's Pain Management Task Force and the Institute of Medicine came to the same conclusion that there is a need for improved, integrated care and professional collaboration, to make discovery, and to discern comparative effectiveness of various treatment options and modalities.

VA Secretary David J. Shulkin summarized his plans to use the 2018 budget request towards improving veteran services. The 2018 budget request for discretionary funding totals $82.1 billion (including medical care collections), of which $66.4 billion was previously provided as the VA Medical Care 2018 Advance Appropriation. The budget request for mandatory funding totals $104.3 billion.  While Secretary Shulkin acknowledged the VA has made noteworthy improvements in delivering benefits to veterans, more must be done. We have outlined the details of Secretary Shulkin's top five priorities for improving the quality of  service provided to veterans by the VA.

Couldn't make it to our May 2020 online event? Download our post event recap to see what you missed:

• 16+ fresh perspective on how the VA are merging technology and care to deliver better patient outcomes
• How the VA is responding to the COVID-19 Crisis
• An inside look into the VA's evolving approach to the patient experience

In an exclusive interview with IDGA Ryan Rogers, Director of Business Management for the PTSD Foundation of America, Ryan discusses the foundations #1 priority of Veteran suicide prevention as well as initiatives to combat PTSD, and create effective and positive life changes for our at risk Veterans.

Please view the Waiver Liability Form and complete ahead of the conference.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has the highest proportion of paper-only forms (46%) of any federal agency. In fact, only a handful of VA forms are fully fillable, fileable, and signable online....

>>Download to read more insights from our event sponsor DocuSign

Take a closer look at the VA FY 2018-2024 strategic Goals and Objectives as it covers the 5 VA Priorities of

• Customer Service
• Mission Act
• Electronic Health Record
• Business Systems Transformation
• Suicide Prevention
  

Ten key use cases for digitalizing agreements to accelerate your organization.

>>Download to view the full report from our event partner DocuSign

In this presentation Dr. Kevin Kearn discusses:

• Why is VA transitioning to the new electronic health record (EHR) and how will it benefit Veterans and clinicians alike
• The development and functionalities of the new EHR: data migration, interoperability, capabilities and improved healthcare outcomes
• Recent milestones and moving forward in 2021

>>Download the full presentation here

To register for your complimentary pass to the event, please fill out the form below and one of the team will process it for you.

In this interview Retired Major Toni High Tower explains the strides that have been happening in VA Health in terms of telehealth. Telehealth offers several advantages by making healthcare more accessible for the user and boosts capacity for suppliers. In this interview she touches on the subjects of:

• How COVID changed the VA healthcare landscape

• The major identifies the barriers and opportunities with the technology

• How the VA assists in bringing healthcare providers into telehealth.

The 16th annual VA Healthcare Summit is fast approaching, taking place in Washington, DC, July 19 - 20.

Our partners across the Military, Government, Private Health, academia and consultant communities have consistently made this event a marquee gathering for those senior stakeholders. With the Summit regularly hosting over 350+ attendees, this engagement opportunity will provide those leaders across the VA Healthcare ecosystem the chance to learn, share, and connect with our Nation’s Veterans to improve health, access, and delivery, and the opportunity to collaborate in person!

>>Download now!

The VEO Patient Experience (PX) and the VEO Insight & Design teams designed this artifact in partnership with the Veterans Health Administration. This roadmap integrates ideas from VA facility leaders with best practices from the best in class private sector health systems. This roadmap is uniquely designed for VHA. We invite you to use this roadmap as your operating model towards PX excellence. It builds upon the VA Patient Experience Domains, providing an adaptable approach based on five key action-oriented stages. Start and maintain the dialogue about patient experience. Follow suit by taking deliberate actions towards your journey to PX excellence. Roadmap courtesy of Jeffrey Tennen.

Thomas Lynch, MD, Assistant Deputy USH for Clinical Operations and Management discusses:

• Ensuring the delivery of exceptional care to the Veteran population
• Streamlining operations to minimize preventable mistakes

In this exclusive article, experts from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs share with us how they are addressing the advancements in Telehealth & Transplant technology as well as challenges, solutions and the road ahead for veterans affairs.

Dr. William Patterson, Network Director, VISN 15 discusses:

• Identifying areas of improvement and creating effective policy measures to combat them
• Establishing a culture of continuous improvement and transitioning the VA into a high performing organization
• Implementing a shared vision across a region

Research reveals that iron-clad contracts aren’t the critical factor in P3 success – focus on creating a strong working relationship is key in driving desired outcomes. 

Read this case study as to how Code Corporation, pressed by medical tech manufacturers developed a data capture device that paired with products and met federal levels for security and interoperabitlity. 

NEW INFOGRAPHIC!

The Department of Veterans Affairs' FY20 Budget At-A-Glance

There are few more important or more challenging undertakings than providing quality care to our nation’s most deserving citizens, veterans. The FY20 budget, the largest in U.S. history, reflects this dichotomy. Up 9.5% from 2019 and 32% from 2016, the $220.2 billion FY20 budget will be used to “ensure the nation’s Veterans receive high-quality health care and timely access to benefits and services” as well as support “the most significant transformation of VA since its inception,” according to VA documents.

To shed light on where exactly the $220.2 billion is going, we at VA Healthcare 2020 created this FY20 budget highlights infographic. DOWNLOAD to learn more about how the VA will use its 2020 funding to drive significant reforms, transform the patient experience, improve accountability and deliver better medical outcomes.

Our nation's veterans are struggling in many areas some of them include spinal cord injury, substance abuse and PTSD. But not only are important strides being made in combating these issues, there’s progress being made which include better women's care and prosthetics for those in need.

Explore the many different faces of our nation's veterans in this interactive eBook packed with articles, interviews and statistics for all of these issues, and get a glimpse into how many decide to solve them.

Most factors impacting health and life expectancy occur outside of the clinical setting. By engaging the Veteran in a holistic manner, the VA can deliver personalized care options. Salesforce explains how a Veteran-centric digital experience improves engagement and care plan adherence, resulting in better outcomes.

The Department of Veteran Affairs is entering the third year of an ambitious modernization plan that will transform the administration into a more efficient and patient-centered organization. As of 2018, the most recent year of available data, the VA is responsible for the care of 19.6 million veterans across the US, with 9.17 million actively enrolled in the VA healthcare system. The face value of the insurance policies supervised and administered by the VA totals a staggering $1.22 trillion. 

As you can see, the VA is a massive entity that’s responsible for the care of our nation’s bravest heroes. In order to provide the highest level of care possible, the department is making huge investments to modernize its operations.

In this in-depth investment report, we look at the what, where and why the VA is looking to invest to support their business transformation efforts. Download to get an inside look into:

• Historical progress. What has already been achieved as well as the challenges that remain
• Current priorities. The top financial and business transformation solutions the VA is looking to invest in 
• Future objectives: What's next for the VA when it comes to back-office transformation?
• How these investments will help the VA achieve its key strategic objectives
  • Modernize Systems and Efficiently Focus Resources 
  • Build Trust; Be Accountable & Transparent
  • Integrated Care & Support, and Excellent Customer Service
  • Easy Access, Greater Choices, and Clear Information to Make Informed Decisions

Danny Pummill, Acting Under Secretary for Benefits, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discusses some of the current challenges facing the VA, and what is being done to address them.

The VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (MISSION) Act was passed with widespread bipartisan support by Congress and signed into law on June 6th, 2018. A key piece of this legislation is the Community Care Program, designed to give certain eligible veterans the ability to receive care from private, community-based primary or specialty care providers. The program also requires that the VA enter into contracts with private insurance networks to ensure that these veterans are getting the care they need. Per the official 2020 budget request, the program is funded for $8.9 Billion in 2020.

This program revolutionizes the current face of VA healthcare and is part of a significant modernization effort - one that requires substantial work. In this article Mission Act Update & the Future of VA Patient Care we take a look at:

• The challenges & opportunities associated with the Community Care Program
• An overview of the key enabling solutions the VA is looking to leverage to support the program
• The future of CX at the VA - data, tools, technology, and engagement

Take a look at the industry professionals that attended last year - you can expect to see similar people this year. Don’t miss your opportunity to meet face-to-face with these decision-makers.

In this exclusive interview with Combat & Casualty, MG Richard Thomas Commander (Outgoing) Western Regional Medical Command, Director (Incoming) Health Care Operations, Defense Health Agency talks about the primary advances to address the needs of combat casualties. In addition, MG Thomas discusses the challenges regarding lessons learned on today’s asymmetric battlefields

Robert B. Belshe, MD, Dianna and J. Joseph Adorjan Endowed Professor of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine discusses:

• The Impact of Influenza Disease in Seniors
• The Impact of Influenza Vaccine in the Senior Population
• Responding to a Need: Fluzone High-Dose (Influenza Vaccine)
• The Post-Licensure Efficacy Study
• Product Information and Summary of Key Points

This article by CDR James V. Lawler, Deputy Director, JC2RT states the outcomes and improvements made by evidence based medicine (EBM). In addition, it will show you the importance on why clinical trials are essential for the continues development of combat casualty care

The dire need for improvement in the business processes within The Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) has been a source of much discussion over the past few months. With the appointment of David Shulkin as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in February has come renewed hope and need for greater accountability. In his May 31st State of VA report, Shulkin detailed 13 areas within which the department will be working towards improvements.