[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6251057,"mediaKeyId","3197008-e3622501e34313bf745a5874801752ae","parentId",3197008,"title","Rural providers praise EPS but warn onboarding, security and document exchange must improve","audioSeconds",3338,"startMs",2686000,"endMs",6024000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3197008-e3622501e34313bf745a5874801752ae&start=2686&end=6024","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3197008-e3622501e34313bf745a5874801752ae/thumbnail_2686000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6251057/Rural-providers-praise-EPS-but-warn-onboarding-security-and-document-exchange-must-improve","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251057-7683b7737f6dec50480a034495e87122/orig.mp4?Expires=1770501264&Signature=Y7VrdVcMXRTQmR5YGXBjvEd6PQsQv74f385goVnrSVu9RGmolAzOmIls9ORpl83auKenllyyzqYTRhTeqM6HgHTzt1JXxPOM94WEXXTXwSG4TkqwgavV88JO84bCPotLCah-DbNoyqCjtCs1R9TwkuEvkGndJ7CE1Mf-HVratOzYwltiwzFiTzSnTaeww0RhZyK5mE6tuCYeHN8eVE0ztGBTdNV1p1u4yuxQwVYUiSWAbhllasd8wAOq9UkanCSxDCGNEOJ1n26eBbuBgBMH9mmYq~ee-ghrbI784c-c2MpbUT0Cm90z3wJ3K9wIq9EIZjGXpAi2YIHYF39XOT-oXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs","date","2025-05-06T10:46:51.627Z","article","Representatives of Nebraska's rural health community told the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee that the External Provider Scheduling program shows early promise in rural states but that practical impediments remain for broad adoption.

\"Nebraska's success shows that national innovation, when paired with local engagement, along with trusted partners, can produce some meaningful results for our veterans,\" Jed Hansen, executive director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association, told the subcommittee.

Hansen said Nebraska has 50 independent provider groups live on EPS and 35 critical access hospitals engaged, with eight in active onboarding. He urged Congress and the VA to help offset IT interface fees for smaller providers and to align EPS integration with large EHR vendors so small rural providers can connect without prohibitive cost.

\"Potentially partnering or working with some of our EHR vendors so that when they do have an update that's rolling out, so that that interface could be more, in line or more friendly to connecting with WellHive would be significant,\" Hansen said. \"Providing some sort of an appropriation to our critical access hospital partners so that they don't have to — they're not burdened with some of that extra cost\" could accelerate adoption.

Committee members also raised the security and referral-document issue. Several representatives asked whether EPS can transmit the full referral package and authorization electronically to the community provider at booking rather than relying on fax or secure email. Chris Farajii said WellHive had completed FedRAMP High activities and submitted its security assessment to the VA and that once the security review and system integrations are complete, the platform will include the referral package with the scheduled appointment.

\"We just completed our FedRAMP high authorization. We submitted our security assessment to VA. They're reviewing, and that should be completed by fall of this year,\" Farajii told the subcommittee. \"At the point where the scheduled appointment is booked, we will also be including that referral package with the appointment.\"

Members emphasized the importance of collecting and reporting quality and timeliness metrics from community providers so veterans can make informed choices between VA direct care and community care. Dr. Arfons said VA is building a more robust quality program, that network adequacy is measured through third-party administrators, and that VA runs the exclusions list daily for provider eligibility checks.

Hansen offered additional implementation recommendations: time-limited enhanced payments to incentivize academic and tertiary providers, leveraging state rural health associations as local liaisons, and continued engagement with national partners such as the National Rural Health Association.

No votes or formal policy changes were taken at the hearing; witnesses and committee members agreed to continue oversight and further technical coordination to address security, provider onboarding costs, and collection of quality metrics.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Oversight Hearing","oneSentenceSummary","Nebraska and rural health witnesses told the subcommittee EPS can improve access for rural veterans but recommended funding help for EHR interfaces, alignment with EHR vendors, quality metrics and expedited secure referral exchange (FedRAMP High) so referral packages can be delivered electronically to community providers.","taxTitle","Veterans Affairs: House Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1825,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6251062,"House subcommittee: scheduling software cuts booking time but remains limited to a fraction of VA sites",5126,1279000,6405000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3197008-e3622501e34313bf745a5874801752ae&start=1279&end=6405","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3197008-e3622501e34313bf745a5874801752ae/thumbnail_1279000.jpg","/articles/6251062/House-subcommittee-scheduling-software-cuts-booking-time-but-remains-limited-to-a-fraction-of-VA-sites","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251062-4afd33a84cdbc168a30958d4bdce4f9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770501264&Signature=kvYc-WQVtB1B0BZJc5p-zLAUjVI9Zgurrf2smYOrHTAUMHZepzORyNL5Ug2t-TEvGfvbLkq8nz~0auz8GOXmg55tp8rlQuo-M004~F3wbyJam0fKgepdU58Y8sX0eFfyui4YOgtRGgKLb3fhWsBOVIvHVvnwkMK0e~XDBaah8hEvkYes8mDEWmTnBtMoj-iVu-v6acW4Usd6ghAkADNFFA~wlz-EtShO0SK~DoV3jN3PMecIorhILRg-eMiWb82O6aCFg1UJJ~e3T785kVVB-7yEJwZns3lBJTfOeM6gfAK1fPU9ngtauZR~RdTYhREb66KwAmQ3MYQFNKKePtidVw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization heard testimony May 5 on the Department of Veterans Affairs' External Provider Scheduling program, or EPS, with VA and contractor witnesses saying the technology can shorten appointment scheduling but has been adopted at only a portion of VA medical centers.

\"EPS allows VA staff to schedule veterans directly into available Community Care Provider appointment slots through a single user interface,\" said Dr. Lisa Arfons, acting deputy assistant undersecretary for health for integrated veteran care at the VA. \"By providing detailed information on who, where, how, and when care is available, EPS helps veterans make timely and informed decisions about their health care.\"

The program's potential is already measurable where it is used, witnesses said. VA testimony to the panel said community-care referrals have grown in recent years; Dr. Arfons said that as of March the VA had provided more than 39.6 million community-care referrals to more than 5.4 million veterans since enactment of the Mission Act. VA and vendor witnesses described faster scheduling times in pilot and live sites: WellHive and VA said the average scheduling time using EPS is roughly seven minutes, and VA told the committee referrals scheduled by traditional means took on average about 33 days whereas referrals processed at sites using EPS moved toward 25 days.

\"The average time to schedule an appointment using EPS is 7 minutes,\" said Chris Farajii, president of WellHive, which holds the EPS contract. \"We're seeing up to 4 times increase in productivity for VA staff using the program, even without critical integrations in the VA systems.\"

Panel members pressed how many sites and providers are live. Dr. Arfons said EPS expanded from 16 sites last fall to 36 sites and that 18 more medical centers were scheduled to go live by the end of the fiscal year; she also said there were roughly 6,000 provider services active in EPS across 62 specialties as of May 1. Members quoted other figures from witnesses about provider counts and month-over-month growth; Farajii told the panel that active provider services had increased about 21% month over month and that provider participation has been rising.

Members and witnesses described practical barriers slowing broader adoption: provider enrollment and onboarding, varying local VA readiness, the need for change management and training, and security and system integrations that are not yet complete. \"Provider participation is absolutely critical,\" Chairman Barrett said in opening remarks. \"EPS is only active at about 20% of VA medical hospitals\" in earlier testimony from the dais, and he warned that weak leadership could let the initiative \"wither on the vine.\"

Committee members repeatedly asked whether VA could speed a national rollout and whether the department or local centers control the timeline. Dr. Arfons said VA has focused rollout regionally and by Veterans Integrated Service Network to align VA staff readiness with provider network readiness and that GO-LIVE planning balances both sides to avoid misalignment that could undermine adoption.

The committee also addressed integration and data flow. Farajii said WellHive had completed FedRAMP High assessment activities and submitted its security package to VA; he told the subcommittee that once security and integration are complete, WellHive intends to include the referral package with the scheduled appointment so community providers receive the documentation electronically instead of by fax.

No formal policy vote occurred during the hearing. Members, including the ranking member, urged continuing oversight and asked VA to expand EPS and to collect and report additional quality and timeliness metrics that would allow veterans to compare VA and community-care options.

The hearing record contains written statements from Dr. Arfons, Mr. Farajii and Mr. Jed Hansen and an extended question-and-answer period with committee members. The witnesses said they will continue onboarding providers and sites and work with the committee and VA leadership to expand the program.","Witnesses told the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee that the External Provider Scheduling (EPS) tool reduces time to book community-care appointments but is active at only a fraction of VA medical centers; witnesses and members flagged provider enrollment, staff readiness, and security integration as remaining barriers to national rollout.","actionData","errors"]

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Rural providers praise EPS but warn onboarding, security and document exchange must improve

House subcommittee: scheduling software cuts booking time but remains limited to a fraction of VA sites