Access to Care tool runs on the Azure Government platform and SQL Server technology
Toby Ingleton |
The Azure Government platform is helping the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs bring about a digital transformation within the organisation.
The department provides veterans with information about their healthcare, and recently launched a new online tool that allows public access to vital data. This tool – Access to Care – is powered by Microsoft Azure Government and SQL Server technology, and enables veterans and their families make more informed healthcare decisions.
Access to Care features a number of public-facing websites that collectively provide a portal for users. The tool helps simplify data for users around patient wait times, satisfaction scores for access to primary and specialty care, and timeliness of urgent appointments.
Users are able to compare the current facility a veteran is using with alternatives, helping to enhance the decision making process. Access to Care also uses Bing Maps to identify nearby Veteran Affair facilities.
“The VA is actively embracing digital government and taking things to a whole new level,” said Jack Bates, director, OI&T Business Intelligence Service Line, Veterans Affairs. “Through the power of cloud technology, we are able to take information of great importance to Veterans and our stakeholders, such as the Access to Care website, and make it directly available to our constituents. The Access to Care site is an example of the new types of tools the VA will be pursuing that will foster transparency and empower the Veteran and our constituents to help them understand how the VA as a whole is doing and their local VA as well when it comes to access and quality of care.”
Microsoft will continue working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs over the coming months to help evolve and improve the Access to Care tool.
“Microsoft is proud to be part of the VA’s initiative to enable greater transparency and to enhance the way it supports veterans around the world,” said Susie Adams, chief technology officer, Microsoft Federal, Microsoft. “This work expands on Microsoft’s commitment to provide the VA with the deepest set of services, capabilities, and compliance standards to help it best achieve its mission.”