IT workarounds at VA-DoD health facility costly

The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago is the first attempt to fully integrate the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments' healthcare facilities, but delayed progress on information technology is proving costly, finds a June 26 Government Accountability Office report (.pdf).

Eleven of the 12 areas of VA-DoD integration at the medical center are "implemented" or "in progress," while IT remains the only integration area "delayed," says GAO. These delays remain despite the more than $122 million VA and DoD have spent thus far on IT capabilities, says the report.

Report authors say the incomplete IT capabilities require workarounds, which come with additional costs and administrative burden. The departments are also unable to quantify the cost of these delays, says the report...