In the News

CAVHS-incubated innovation plays big part in presidential award for VHA program


FOX 16
10/02/2020

The Veterans Health Administration’s Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) has been chosen to get the Gears of Government President’s Award for innovations that include a program developed at Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS).

The annual Gears of Government President’s awards program recognizes the contributions of people and teams across the federal workforce who make a big difference in the lives of American People.

The VHAIE earned the honor by curating, funding, and expanding in-house innovations, including a program developed at CAVHS to de-prescribe unnecessary medicine to Veterans.

VIONE, which was made in 2018-19 by a group led by CAVHS’ then Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics and Extended Care Services Dr. Saraswathy Battar, is a simple user-friendly medication management system that improves patient safety and comfort, and lowers cost. Clinicians and pharmacists use the VIONE acronym to determine if a Veteran’s medications are actively supporting their health care goals.

Vital: Is the medication vital to the patient’s health?
Important: How important is this medication to the patient’s quality of life?
Optional: Do the benefits outweigh the risks?
Not indicated: Are the medications no longer needed?
Every medication has a reason: Is there a clear diagnosis or indication?
According to the news releases provided by VHA, VIONE has successfully impacted the lives of more than 80,000 Veterans by deprescribing hundreds of thousands of unneeded medications and saving Veterans across the nation more than $6 million annually.

The program was recognized by Representative French Hill on the floor of the House of Representatives on March 27, 2020.

Since the reconfiguration in 2018, VHAIE has helped reshape employees’ ability to discover and spread their innovations throughout the VA health care system. To date, VHAIE innovation projects have improved care for more than 1 million Veterans, lowered costs for taxpayers by over $40 million, saved lives from opioid overdoses, and advanced care for the entire field of medicine.

Click here for more information about VHAIE.