Dr. Ryan Vega of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and Dr. Kenneth Kizer of Atlas Research have analyzed a model for operationalizing and scaling innovation in health care systems. The model is based on the successful VHA Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE).

Dr. Ryan Vega is the executive director of the Veterans Health Administration’s Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE). Dr. Kenneth Kizer is the chief health care transformation officer at Atlas Research and former Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

The foundation of innovation is built on four core elements, including “workforce capacity to actualize innovation; an organizational infrastructure that supports integrated, systematic, repeatable pathways for change; an innovation-nurturing culture; and strategic external partnerships and collaborations," the authors stated. 

The VHA IE has implemented these four elements to develop, adopt, spread and sustain innovations. The authors explained activities from the VHA IE portfolio to show how VHA, the nation’s largest integrated health system, has developed a foundation for innovation.

Vega and Kizer noted that there are a variety of innovative health care products and practices available, but the solutions have not offered major improvements in care. Additionally, the offerings have not been developed at the pace and scale needed to transform care delivery or reduce cost. 

The authors have noted that replicable operating models are needed for developing, adopting, spreading and sustaining innovations are vital to innovation within healthcare. According to the authors, “if innovation can happen in the VA, it should be able to happen anywhere.”

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the agency will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster a secure U.S. supply chain. AI will support the ingestion and analysis of the increasing amounts of data, FedScoop reported on Tuesday. 

“All of this now is starting to play into that AI and machine learning arena because, one, we’re getting data that we’ve never seen before,” said Vincent Annunziato, director of CBP Business Transformation and Innovation Division.

CBP will utilize AI to analyze data sooner to further secure the supply chain. Currently, analysis occurs after products have been manufactured and already begun international transit. 

CBP is responsible for ensuring importer and exporter compliance with laws and regulations that prevent harmful or counterfeit products from entering or exiting the U.S. Long-term, smart AI devices could be used to alert CBP to threats such as tampered items within the international supply chain.

The agency has faced an increased volume of supply chain data since CBP has integrated blockchain to secure various industries, such as steel and oil. AI and machine learning (ML) will gather and interpret data to increase speed and security.

CBP began piloting blockchain to validate mill certificates, which are documents detailing the chemical breakdown and grade of steel, as well as whether open-market oil is USMCA-certified. CBP also announced blockchain pilots that will enhance its visibility into the food, e-commerce shipment and natural gas supply chains while making validation paperless.

AI could help with the categorization of products based on photos or text descriptions while avoiding errors that currently require CBP personnel to delete entries and start from scratch when they’re made, Annunziato said.

“The government is going to look into designing a system that’s flexible for the data that’s coming in so that, even if you don’t have all the appropriate data at the time that you submit it, you can update it as you go along,” Annunziato added.

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Unanet has released Unanet Connect, an open integration marketplace and platform will integrate pre-built connectors with customers’ ERP seamlessly, the company reported on Tuesday. The platform will provide a single solution for data orchestration, workflow automation and improved team collaboration.

“As companies continue their digital transformations, Unanet Connect is the only tool that will allow them to scale their entire enterprise environment in a way that meets all of their unique needs, improving their business processes easily and simply,” said Assad Jarrahian, chief product officer, Unanet.

Unanet Connect will provide access to an open marketplace with more than 100 pre-built application connectors that can be integrated at scale, with increased time to value. The result is a highly automated enterprise with increased efficiencies across systems, processes and teams from sales to projects, expenses to payments, hiring to payroll and operations.

The platforms will feature applications, including Paylocity, ADP, Oracle, BambooHR, MS Teams, Box, DocuSign and HubSpot, among others. Unanet’s solutions will support business functions such as payroll, HR, marketing, and sales and finance.

Unanet Connect will increase efficiency and productivity, by enabling customers’ digital transformation goals. The centralized hub will feature greater information, insights and automation.

Earlier this year, Unanet announced a variety of new product enhancements to its ERP for government contracting (GovCon) and architecture/engineering (A/E) customers, including streamlined invoicing with online payment facilitation, analytics, and subcontractor management features.

The earlier enhancements will be integrated with Unanet Connect to help customers innovate and scale digital transformation.

“The status quo of ERP and other business solutions just aren’t delivering on customer needs,” added Jarrahian. “With this unique integration tool, we’re disrupting the entrenched marketplace and finally giving customers what they want and deserve.”

About Unanet

Unanet is a leading provider of ERP solutions purpose-built for Government Contractors, A/E, and Professional Services. More than 2,000 project-driven organizations depend on Unanet to turn their information into actionable insights, drive better decision-making, and nurture business growth.

The full-rate production phase for the F-35 fighter jet program faces another delay after the Department of Defense (DoD) pushed back testing in the Joint Simulation Environment from December 2020 of this year to sometime in 2021, Defense News reported Monday.

Jessica Maxwell, a spokeswoman for Hon. Ellen Lord, undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment at DoD and a four-time Wash100 Award winner, announced the delay in simulation tests, which she said will inform a statutory report DoD needed to review and decide whether to grant Milestone C approval in order for the program to advance to full-rate production.

“Production of the F-35 will continue in [low-rate initial production] in accordance with Congressional authorization and appropriation,” Maxwell said in a statement.

The F-35 program was expected to receive Milestone C decision in December 2019, but that timeline was pushed back to March 2021, according to the report.