More than a dozen community health care systems have agreed to share data and work with the VA to improve veteran health care as more veterans see their treatment funneled to community providers.

A pledge signed by 13 provider networks “will improve veteran health care by giving us seamless, immediate access to a patient’s medical history, which will help us make timely and accurate treatment decisions,” VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal said. “It will also empower VA to send helpful information to our partner health systems that they can then offer to veterans in their care — including information about new benefits we are offering ... no-cost emergency suicide care, and more.”

Elnahal shared more information on the pledge with MOAA and other veterans service organizations Jan. 22. The pledge, first announced in October, was the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) call to action to improve automation and to more effectively engage with providers caring for veterans in the community.

Pledge Background

The pledge was the outcome of a brainstorming meeting in July 2023 with chief information officers of 11 major health systems and VA health and technology leaders. They focused on data sharing solutions that would help benefit veteran patients and the providers caring for them as well as reducing financial burdens on veterans.

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The leaders committed to focusing on three objectives in support of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, which expands VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances, and the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care, and Treatment (COMPACT) Act of 2020, which requires the VA to pay for the treatment of veterans in a suicidal crisis at any VA or non-VA medical facility.

These objectives include:

• Accurately identify veterans — Identifying shared patients who are veterans regardless of whether they receive VA benefits.
  
  
• Connect veterans with VA and community resources — Coordinating and promoting health care and resources, including exchanging visit summary data and referring veterans to VA services to lower veterans’ out-of-pocket expenses.
  
  
• Responsively and reliably coordinate care — Exchanging population-level data, including care requested and provided, to assess the quality of veteran care.

The 13 health systems that have signed the pledge so far are: Atrium Health; Emory Healthcare; Inova; Intermountain Health; Jefferson Health; Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals; Marshfield Clinic Health System; Mass General Brigham; Rush Health; Sanford Health; Tufts Medicine; University of California, Davis Health; and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

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The VHA is also encouraging any health system or provider that supports the pledge’s objectives to participate. In signing the pledge, VHA and community health systems agree to collaborate in advancing technologies that improve care coordination and efficiency of care for veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors that results in exceptional care and enhances health and well-being.

Phased Implementation

Tufts Medicine leads the digital solution during the first phase, which is nearing completion, Elnahal told MOAA and other groups. Once complete, partners will be able to identify patients in their systems who are veterans, connect them with resources, and notify the VHA of veterans who are in suicidal crisis in support of the COMPACT Act.   

The second phase, expected to start in March, will focus on the PACT Act. During this period, community providers will receive an alert from the VHA for presumptive diagnoses associated with toxic exposures. In turn, community providers are expected to share patient care information with the VHA more rapidly and refer veterans to the VHA for toxic exposure screening.

By December, the VHA hopes to achieve more advanced interoperability between the health systems to ensure health information is available when and where it needs to be for care, referrals, and payments. This system will ensure veterans are receiving the highest quality of care possible.

MOAA looks forward to working with the VA throughout this process as part of its work to ensure new laws protecting service-earned benefits are enacted as envisioned by Congress. This follow-through is a critical part of our advocacy efforts; get the latest updates on this and other issues at MOAA’s Advocacy News page, and be sure to register with our Legislative Action Center to let your lawmakers know about upcoming proposals.