William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital

Christopher (IT Specialist) working on a PC.

The 6th Annual National Health IT Week is September 12-16.  Health information technology connects doctors and patients to more complete and accurate health records. Tools like electronic health records and electronic prescriptions help patients and providers make safer, smarter decisions about health care.

Did you know the VA has one of the most integrated electronic medical records in the world?    In fact, a study comparing patients at a VA hospital in Washington, DC with Medicare patients treated at a variety of public and private hospitals showed VA patients were in better health and received more guideline-recommended care.  The VA’s electronic medical record, VistA (Veterans' Health Information System and Technology Architecture) and CPRS (Computerized Patient Record System), is heralded as the key to this success.

Health information technology improves the quality of healthcare delivery, increases patient safety, decreases medical errors, and strengthens the interaction between patients and healthcare providers.

IRMS Staff at the Madison VA

Behind the scenes of every computer at the Madison VA Hospital are a set of professionals in the Information Resource Management Service (IRMS) Department.  More than half of the IRMS staff is Veterans.

Staff Include:

• Administrative Assistant
• Deputy Chief Information Officer (CIO)
• Facility CIO
• Display Coordinator
• Information Technology (IT) Specialists
• Network Administrator
• Personal Computer (PC) Technicians
• Telecommunications Specialists
• VistA Imaging
• VistA Staff

IRMS employees serve Veterans by supporting the Madison VA staffs’ IT needs.  In addition to their time at work, this year the IRMS staff sponsored a WW II Veteran’s participation in April’s Badger Honor Flight. The flight flies Veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the memorials built in their honor.

Increased Wireless Service for Veterans & Staff

Recently, the Madison VA Hospital underwent a Wireless Site Survey.  The survey will assist in the launch of a wireless local area network (WLAN) that will provide 100 percent coverage to the hospital’s interior structures.  Laptops, tablet PCs and other handheld communicative devices depend on the Madison VA’s secure wireless infrastructure. Enhancing the hospital’s wireless infrastructure will increase the reliability of such devices, expand computing mobility throughout the facility, and ultimately, positively contribute to enhanced patient-centered care.