West Haven and Hartford have been selected to receive funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Employee Innovation Competition. The innovations were the result of a contest in which VA employees were asked to use their expertise to suggest improvements that would both boost VA service and more efficiently use taxpayer dollars.
The West Haven VA Medical Center will receive funding to develop automated electronic methods for capturing medical device data in near real-time. This automated electronic system will allow medical service providers to more accurately measure medical device use and perform intra- and inter-facility comparisons in order to reduce healthcare-associated infections.
Hartford is developing an online chat application for veterans to communicate with VA employees about disability compensation benefits. This will personalize and streamline the claims process so that veterans can become better and more quickly informed about what information they need to file a claim.
The competition was held by the VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2). This program taps the talent of individuals inside and outside government to contribute innovative solutions that help the VA meet the challenges of becoming a 21st-century organization.
It is crucial that we do everything we can to take care of our soldiers after they return home from serving abroad. I applaud West Haven and Hartford for their innovations which will improve the quality and efficiency of the healthcare given to our veterans.