Increasingly, health care and technology are crossing paths. From fitness trackers to electronic health records, health-related applications (apps), 3D printing of organs and more, health technology is no longer just for tech specialists. Technology has permeated the health care industry so effusively that it is difficult to picture a visit to the hospital without it.
At the intersection of health care and technology, Atlas Research has worked with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Web/Mobile Solutions team since December 2013 on a project called Application Support through National Rollout. Members of the Atlas Team are helping advance services for Veterans and their care providers by supporting the development of apps that simplify, expedite, and otherwise transform VA health care.
The Atlas Team is responsible for app lifecycle management as well as developing the training necessary for the successful utilization of each app.
“[The mobile application project managers] ensure that everything is on track and serve as an advocate for the app,” describes Lauren Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum is a mobile application project manager herself, along with Thalia Sirjue, Karin Bues, Jared Hennings, and colleagues from Booz Allen Hamilton. Each manager is responsible for shepherding five apps through the entire creation process.
The apps cover a wide range of topics and target audiences, and run from highly specialized to broadly applicable. One app walks patients through the process of determining if they require a dedicated stroke center for care. Another will allow patients to send short video clips to doctors with the aim of eliminating excessive trips to the nearest VA Medical Center.
Other apps are designed to help health care workers provide high quality and more efficient care to their Veteran patients. For example, one app allows health care providers to view x-ray and electrocardiogram (EKG) images on the go, and another app helps doctors to check vital signs for remote patients.
Each app begins as an idea brought forth by a “business owner” at VA; these specialists include program managers, physicians, and other health care practitioners who have identified a need that an app could help fill.
After a business owner’s idea gets the green light, it moves on to a business requirements phase. This phase “translates an idea to an actual set of implementable pieces,” explains Karin Bues, who works with the requirements component of the project. Requirements lay out the set of building blocks required to get each app off the ground. From requirements the app moves to contracting, development, and testing, which are done by other support teams. Finally, the apps are readied for deployment and the Atlas Team creates training videos and webinars for a variety of user groups.
Of course, this process is much more complicated in real life than the brief explanation described here. Each app goes through many cycles of review and testing with multiple teams, which can take months to complete successfully.
To training coordinator Nathan Templeman, this project represents a new and exciting modernization effort for VA.
“[VA] is looking at ways to reach Veterans in more meaningful ways, and get them more engaged with their care,” says Templeman.
Sirjue also echoed this sentiment: “This is a new lane for VA to be in. It’s exciting because we get to contribute to the footprint and help them develop what the processes are going to be as time moves on.”
While mobile health apps and their novelty within the field of health care certainly lends an air of excitement, it is the team dynamic with both VA and each other which truly unites and encourages its members.
“It’s helpful to be able to work as a team on these complex projects,” says Sirjue, “We share best practices and lessons learned, and can help each other provide efficient service to VA and ultimately a great experience for the users of the apps.”
PROJECT QUICK FACTS
Title: VA Application Support through National Rollout
Program Manager: Teddi Mikula
Project Manager: Thalia Sirjue
Atlas Team: Karin Bues, Jared Hennings, Lauren Rosenbaum, Nathan Templeman
What: Provide lifecycle, requirements, and trainings assistance to VHA Web/Mobile Solutions for up to 65 web and mobile apps
When: December 2013 - Present
Why: In support of VHA’s mission to deliver high-quality care to the 8.3 million Veterans it serves every year
Learn More: VA Mobile App Store and VA Mobile Training Portal