GAO: VA, DoD Need Outcome-Oriented Goals for EHR Systems Interoperability
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GAO: VA, DoD Need Outcome-Oriented Goals for EHR Systems Interoperability


EHRThe Government Accountability Office has said the departments of Defense and Veteran Affairs have not defined outcome-oriented goals and metrics to support interoperability between both entities’ electronic health records systems.

GAO said Wednesday DoD and the VA determined separate modernization efforts would be more cost effective than a joint system development but neither department has a comparison of estimated costs between the two approaches.

Auditors also noted the departments’ schedules show that separate modernization efforts will take longer than a projected 2017 completion date for the previous interoperability approach.

GAO added the VA’s modernization program for its VistA EHR system has experienced delays that led to an outdated system but the department’s health undersecretary said the program will be complete in fiscal year 2018.

The government watchdog restated a prior recommendation for the VA to work on its information technology modernization approach and address challenges with interoperability and planning functions.

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NASA, USAID Launch West Africa Environmental Monitoring Center
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NASA, USAID Launch West Africa Environmental Monitoring Center


NASA-USAID LaunchThe U.S. Agency for International Development and NASA have launched SERVIR-West Africa, an environmental monitoring program in Niamey, Niger, that will work to address the climate-sensitive issues of the region through space-based observations.

NASA said Thursday the SERVIR center will support scientists and decision-makers who utilize space data to manage issues related to the climate, such as food security and water resources.

The agency added that SERVIR-West Africa scientists will have access to space-based climate, weather and other data from NASA’s satellites to support policymakers, government agencies and stakeholders across Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Senegal.

Alex Deprez, USAID West Africa regional office director, said the center will assist collaborations between scientists to aid the region against the challenges it faces.

SERVIR-West Africa will be implemented by a unit of the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel and supported by Tetra Tech and partners in West Africa.

SERVIR, a joint project by USAID and NASA designed to help developing nations tackle country-specific issues and needs, currently has four NASA-USAID sponsored centers in operation.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the program is now serving at least 40 countries.

“Together with USAID, we are continuing the effort to bring space-based science down to Earth for real-time, real-world uses that are changing people’s lives where they live,” he added.

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VA’s Veterans Choice Program Hits 2M Community Healthcare Appointments; Robert McDonald Comments
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VA’s Veterans Choice Program Hits 2M Community Healthcare Appointments; Robert McDonald Comments


Robert McDonald
Robert McDonald

The Department of Veterans Affairs has scheduled more than 2 million community healthcare appointments for retired service personnel under a program.

VA said Thursday the Veterans Choice Program is part of the Choice Act of 2014 that aims to provide veterans access to medical care within VA and their communities.

The department noted that VCP recorded a 103 percent growth in care authorizations between October 2015 and March 2016 and that there are now 350,000 healthcare facilities and community providers under the Choice Provider Network.

Other changes that VA introduced to the program include the designation of contractor staff with VA personnel at some locations as well as efforts to expedite payments to community health providers and streamline the submission process for medical records.

“We will continue to make strides towards an integrated care network, and I urge Congress to enact our Plan to Consolidate Community Care so we can continue to build upon our progress,” said VA Secretary Robert McDonald, an inductee into Executive Mosaic‘s Wash100 for 2016.

The Plan to Consolidate Community Care contains several legislative proposals, including a bill that would authorize VA to sign agreements with local health providers to facilitate community care access for veterans.

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Johns Hopkins APL-NASA Mission Enters System Assembly, Integration Phase for Solar Data Mission
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Johns Hopkins APL-NASA Mission Enters System Assembly, Integration Phase for Solar Data Mission


NASA imageNASA will proceed to the system assembly, integration, test and launch stage for a mission to the sun scheduled to launch in the summer of 2018.

Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory said Thursday the space agency has completed a management review development milestone on the Solar Probe Plus program that will send a spacecraft on a data collection mission into the sun’s atmosphere.

For Phase D, the APL-NASA team will finish construction of the spacecraft, install science instruments and test the system under simulated launch and space conditions.

“We’ve designed a spacecraft, instruments and a mission that can address the engineering challenges associated with the harsh solar environment, and send back the data that scientists have sought for decades,” said Andy Driesman, APL Solar Probe Plus project manager.

APL said the mission will deliver four instrument suites designed to study magnetic fields, plasma, energy particles and the solar wind to help forecast space-weather events that affect life on Earth.

NASA has scheduled the Solar Probe Plus launch date for a 20-day window that opens July 31, 2018 and aims to put the spacecraft as close as 3.9 million miles away from the sun’s surface, or seven times closer than any other spacecraft.

Solar Plus Probe will carry a 4.5-inch-thick carbon-composite shield to withstand temperatures of close to 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit but maintain the payload’s operations at room temperature, according to APL.

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Gen. Hawk Carlisle: Air Force Could Deploy F-35 Soon After IOC Declaration
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Gen. Hawk Carlisle: Air Force Could Deploy F-35 Soon After IOC Declaration


F-35Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of the Air Combat Command, has said the U.S. Air Force‘s F-35 could deploy quickly this year if a combat mission calls for the jet’s assistance, Bloomberg reported Thursday.

Anthony Capaccio writes Carlisle expects the Lockheed Martin-developed aircraft to reach initial operating capability within the August-to-December window.

“The minute I declare initial operational capability, if the combatant commander calls me up and says they needed F-35s, I would send them,” he told Bloomberg.

The Air Force said Thursday he addressed air superiority and combat air force modernization efforts during a House Armed Services subcommittee hearing held Wednesday.

Hawk Carlisle
Hawk Carlisle

“America cannot effectively wield its military as an instrument of national power without the means to control the skies,” Carlisle said.

“Today’s air superiority mission rests upon a mix of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, supported by a highly refined command and control network.”

The service branch performs aerial operations with its F-15C Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor and F-35 platforms.

Carlisle noted his command aims to develop strategies to help the Air Force manage acquisition agility, procurement timelines and life cycle costs of air superiority missions.

Senate Confirms Carla Hayden as Library of Congress Head
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Senate Confirms Carla Hayden as Library of Congress Head


recordCarla Hayden, formerly CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, has received Senate confirmation to become the new head of the Library of Congress, the Baltimore Sun reported Friday.

John Fritze writes the Senate voted 74-18 in favor of Hayden after the Senate Rules Committee approved her nomination in June.

She will succeed James Billington, who retired after 28 years of service, Fritze reports.

Hayden, a former president of the American Library Association, helped to increase the number of computers at the Enoch Pratt system and to grow the library’s electronic book collection, according to the Sun.

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House Bill Seeks to Establish Agency Working Capital Funds for IT Modernization
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House Bill Seeks to Establish Agency Working Capital Funds for IT Modernization


cloudITHouse lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill that would authorize federal agencies to create their own working capital funds to update their information technology systems, Nextgov reported Thursday.

Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and other lawmakers proposed the Modernizing Outdated and Vulnerable Equipment and Information Technology Act of 2016 as an alternative to a White House plan to set up a $3.1 billion fund to support IT updates, Frank Konkel writes.

The White House proposed the fund in February as part of the Cybersecurity National Action Plan.

The MOVE IT bill would direct agencies to reprogram funds intended for maintenance and operation of legacy IT platforms in order to establish their capital funds “only if the transfer authority is specifically provided by law,” Konkel reports.

The proposed legislation also aims to facilitate the migration of government data infrastructure to the cloud through the adoption of a streamlined approach to the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program accreditation process and formation of a public-private cloud liaison group to be hosted by the General Services Administration on a quarterly basis, according to the report.

The report added the Senate also proposed a similar bill.

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Ashton Carter: US to Maintain Financial Commitment, Force Presence in Afghanistan
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Ashton Carter: US to Maintain Financial Commitment, Force Presence in Afghanistan


Ashton Carter
Ashton Carter

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told reporters in Kabul that the U.S. will continue its financial support for Afghanistan’s security forces as well as retain U.S. military presence in the country through 2017, DoD News reported Wednesday.

Karen Parrish writes Carter met with the Afghan leaders including President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah to discuss U.S. commitments to the country.

Carter added NATO partners at the Warsaw Summit also reaffirmed their support to Afghan forces through financial aid and commitment to the Operation Resolute Support, Parrish reports.

The defense secretary said the U.S. aims to retain 8,400 U.S. troops in the region to train, advise and assist Afghan forces and support counterterrorism operations.

President Barack Obama also granted additional force deployment flexibility in the area, the report said.

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Rear Adm. Philip Howe Nominated Associate Director for CIA Military Affairs
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Rear Adm. Philip Howe Nominated Associate Director for CIA Military Affairs


Philip Howe
Philip Howe

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Philip Howe, president of the Naval War College in Rhode Island, has been nominated to the role of associate director for military affairs at the CIA.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Thursday that President Obama also endorsed Howe for promotion to the rank of vice admiral.

Howe previously held assignments with the Naval Special Warfare and Joint Special Operations communities and also commanded the Naval Special Warfare Unit 3 in Bahrain, Naval Special Warfare Group 3 in San Diego, California, and Special Operations Command for the Pacific in Hawaii.

He also deployed to the western Pacific and Southwest Asia and participated in Operations Earnest Will, Provide Promise, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Howe held staff roles at Special Operations Command Pacific, Naval Special Warfare Development Group, Naval Special Warfare Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations Command.

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USAID Invests $62M in New Lesotho HIV/AIDS Care Project; Appolinaire Tiam Comments
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USAID Invests $62M in New Lesotho HIV/AIDS Care Project; Appolinaire Tiam Comments


USAIDThe United States Agency for International Development has invested $62 million in a new project launched by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to expand HIV/AIDS care and treatment services for people in Lesotho.

The five-year Providing Universal Services for HIV/AIDS Project is intended to provide resources to help grow integrated care and treatment coverage for children and adults to 80 percent by 2018 with the use of a prioritized district approach, USAID said Thursday.

“This is a vital step on the path towards universal access to HIV treatment and care for all in Lesotho,” said  Appolinaire Tiam, EGPAF-Lesotho country director.

USAID aims to help increase the deployment of HIV/AIDS care and treatment services across all health facilities in the districts of Maseru, Mohale’s Hoek and Mafeteng, and sustain services in the districts of Butha-Buthe, Mokhotlong and Thaba-Tseka.

The project also seeks to bring the transmission rate of HIV from mother to child to less than 5 percent and EGPAF plans to use data and evidence to steer course of action and identify problems.

EGPAF will work with the Lesotho Ministry of Health, Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation – Lesotho, Lesotho Network of AIDS Service Organizations and the Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association to implement the project.

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