Digital Transformation and Advanced Renal Care at the VA
How the DSS CyberREN solution enhances the VA’s HRO journey and increases renal care access through real-time data and automation
One of the biggest challenges for staff caring for Veterans with renal disease is effective time management. As these patients often require extensive care, each action by clinicians must be carefully documented, which can be very time-consuming.
By historically relying on paper documentation or making temporary notes before re-entering information into the CPRS, clinicians are often detracted by these cumbersome workflows that can impact the quality of care provided during dialysis treatments. In addition, dialysis staff cannot constantly monitor the patient’s dialysis machine, making it difficult to access real-time data at times.
Locating specific data in CPRS can also often be challenging, making it difficult to easily access data and identify patient trends. This can also hinder the ability to present this information to regulatory agencies or Department of Veterans Affair (VA) leadership.
Leverage Real-Time Data and Automation for Enhanced Renal Care
Thankfully the DSS CyberREN offering plays a vital role in advancing the VA's digital transformation efforts by streamlining dialysis documentation and enhancing data accessibility across its facilities by leveraging renal patient data in real-time.
This complete renal care solution streamlines and simplifies the coordination and management of renal care and dialysis treatments for Veterans. CyberREN offers a seamless integration with VistA/CPRS, which provides greater collaboration among nephrologists, primary care providers, and other specialists. In addition to the VistA/CPRS integration, the solution is poised to support the newer EHRM efforts with Oracle Cerner.
In addition to streamlining and simplifying renal care coordination for the VA, the solution also enhances the VA’s High-Reliability Organization (HRO) journey, as well as increases overall care access.
Following are some dynamic use cases to show how CybeREN can enhance overall renal care for Veterans:
- Chronic Kidney Disease Management (CKD): Outpatient CKD nurse and providers can devote more time to patient care with the automation of CyberREN documentation and care mapping to support standardized decision-making for CKD patient care.
- Nephrology Dieticians: Outpatient or Inpatient Nephrology Dieticians can devote more time to patient care with the automation of CyberREN documentation.
- Nephrology Leadership: Nephrology leadership can manage their patient populations easily through reporting, rigorous charting, automated real-time data, and unit trends to support positive, quality outcomes of their nephrology patient populations.
- Dialysis Unit Staff Nurses: Outpatient or Inpatient Hemodialysis Staff Nurses can devote more time to patient care with the automation of CyberREN documentation.
Supporting the VA’s HRO Journey and Care Access Capabilities
In supporting the VA’s overall HRO journey, CyberREN plays a major role in this by empowering clinical teams to maximize patient safety, quality of care, and operational efficiency.
For example, during the implementation process, current workflows are gathered and customized within the application to align with these principles, enhancing safety and reliability. The reporting options further support these goals that provide key insights that help maintain high standards in patient care.
By supporting positive patient outcomes, CyberREN helps keep end-stage renal disease manageable, as patients can live for many years on dialysis with proper care. The solution also enables nurses and providers to manage more renal patients, which allows the VA to expand its overall renal care access capabilities.
Current CyberREN Momentum at the VA
Since its first go-live in 2018, CyberREN has gained tremendous momentum with 50 VA facilities currently using the solution. In addition, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) awarded DSS with a $27 million IDIQ a contract award to advance the use of the solution.
As the VA continues to embrace overall digital transformation, CyberREN completely modernizes the agency’s overall renal care capabilities. In the end, renal patients get the most optimal care possible, care providers can care for more patients, and the VA advances its HRO efforts.
To learn more about cyberREN, please click here.