Effective management of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service (P&LMS) laboratories requires indicators capable of demonstrating each individual laboratory's productivity and efficiency. Local sites require the capability to determine in real time, the effects of any procedural or policy changes relating to productivity and efficiency. Data collected by each individual medical center is compiled on a national level at the Austin Information Technology Center (AITC) for P&LMS Central Office utilization. Each local medical center will have the capability to independently monitor laboratory trends and make appropriate decisions. A detailed view of workload data will be provided to support a variety of management and clinical requirements and needs. Measurements of productivity and efficiency data are capable of providing medical center to medical center comparisons. In addition, workload data is suitable for comparison to private sector facilities that capture laboratory workload based on Current Procedure Terminology (CPT). The National Laboratory Workload & Laboratory Management Index Program has been selected as the efficiency and productivity logic model. The National Laboratory Workload & Laboratory Management Index Program report replaces the Lab Automated Management Information System (AMIS) segment used in the past. Each local site identifies the reportable units based on CPT and VA guidelines. Reportable units are extracted by laboratory software and are transmitted to the AITC. The transmitted data is compiled and stored in the National Laboratory Workload & Laboratory Management Index Program database. This database supports P&LMS Headquarters and Veterans Integrated Service Network director's office.

My HealtheVet (MHV) is VA's award-winning online Personal Health Record (PHR), located at www.myhealth.va.gov. The mission of MHV is to transform the delivery of health and health care for all Veterans, independent of where they receive care, by providing one-stop, online access to better manage their overall health, make informed health decisions, and record and store important health and military history information. MHV provides access to VA health care and information 24/7 through web-based tools that empower Veterans to become active partners in their health care. MHV registrants can click a 'Blue Button' on the website to view, print or download their available personal health information and military service information. They can choose to share that information with other providers, caregivers, family members or job advocates safely, securely, and privately. Web technology combines essential health record information enhanced by online health resources. This enables and encourages patient/clinician collaboration. The online environment maps closely to existing clinical business practices and extends management and delivery of care. MHV allows VA patients to request and receive VA prescription refills and provides a blended history of VA and self-entered medications. Registrants whose personal identities have been verified as VA patients can receive copies of select VA electronic health records, including VA Appointments, Chemistry/Hematology Lab Results, Allergies and Wellness Reminders. Many VA patients are communicating with their participating health care teams through Secure Messaging.

This database is part of the National Medical Information System (NMIS). The National Health Care Practitioner Database (NHCPD) supports Veterans Health Administration Privacy Act requirements by segregating personal information about health care practitioners such as name and social security number from patient information recorded in the National Patient Care Database for Ambulatory Care Reporting and Primary Care Management Module.

The National Prosthetics Patient Database (NPPD) established a central database of Prosthetics data recorded at each Veterans Health Administration facility. Its objective was to enable clinical reviews to increase quality, reduce costs, and improve efficiency of the Prosthetics program. Increase the quality of the services to our Veterans by providing a means to develop consistency in services, review prescription and management practices, develop training, monitor Home Medical Equipment, and measure performance improvements. Reduce costs by comparing costs system-wide, identifying common items for consolidated contracting, identifying costs for Medical Cost Care Funds (MCCF) purposes and improving contracting cost benefit. Improve efficiency by validating the data, improving budget management, determining where coding errors occur, providing training, and comparing unique social security numbers for multiple site usage and item issue. The NPPD Menu provides patient information, patient eligibility, Prosthetic treatment, date of provision, cost, vendor, and purchasing agent information. This system tracks average cost data and its usage and provides on both a monthly and quarterly basis detailed and summary reports by station, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and agency. The NPPD Menu resides in Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) at the medical center level. This data is updated quarterly. Data is rolled up at each facility and transmitted to Hines. The data is then loaded into the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) from which data extracts are done. The data is also put into a ProClarity cube and is available to VA local, regional, and national managers online. National managers have the ability to properly monitor, oversee and manage the national program and regional managers are able to effectively manage their respective areas using this tool. The primary purpose of this database is to provide financial and clinical oversight of the Prosthetics program and is used primarily by the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids (PSA) including VISN staff, VISN Prosthetics Representatives, Prosthetics Program Managers and other Prosthetics staff.

The Monthly Program Cost Report (MPCR) replaces the Cost Distribution Report (CDR). The MPCR provides summary information about Veterans Affairs operational costs, Full Time Equivalents (FTE), and workload (number of patient bed days, outpatient clinic stops, etc.). MPCR receives financial data feeds from Decision Support System and workload data feeds from National Patient Care Database, Home Based Primary Care and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Work Measurement in order to provide the VHA with a flexible cost reporting system. The MPCR is assembled from information from all Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). MPCR is processed monthly and consists of two reports: station level and a national level rollup. These two reports are available to users via Roger's Software Development (RSD) on the Austin Information Technology Center mainframe and CD ROM. The primary users of MPCR are the VAMC staff, VHA Budget Office, Medical Care Cost Recovery, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget.

The Medical Care Cost Recovery National Database (MCCR NDB) provides a repository of summary Medical Care Collections Fund (MCCF) billing and collection information used by program management to compare facility performance. It stores summary information for Veterans Health Administration (VHA) receivables including the number of receivables and their summarized status information. This database is used to monitor the status of the VHA's collection process and to provide visibility on the types of bills and collections being done by the Department. The objective of the VA MCCF Program is to collect reimbursement from third party health insurers and co-payments from certain non-service-connected (NSC) Veterans for the cost of medical care furnished to Veterans. Legislation has authorized VHA to: submit claims to and recover payments from Veterans' third party health insurance carriers for treatment of non-service-connected conditions; recover co-payments from certain Veterans for treatment of non-service-connected conditions; and recover co-payments for medications from certain Veterans for treatment of non-service-connected conditions. All of the information captured in the MCCR NDB is derived from the Accounts Receivable (AR) modules running at each medical center. MCCR NDB is not used for official collections figures; instead, the Department uses the Financial Management System (FMS).

As of June 28, 2010, the Master Veteran Index (MVI) database based on the enhanced Master Patient Index (MPI) is the authoritative identity service within the VA, establishing, maintaining and synchronizing identities for VA clients, Veterans and beneficiaries. The MVI includes authoritative sources for health identity data and contains over 17 million patient entries populated from all VHA facilities nationwide. The MVI provides the access point mechanism for linking patient's information to enable an enterprise-wide view of patient information, uniquely identifies all active patients who have been admitted, treated, or registered in any VHA facility, and assigns a unique identifier to the patient. The MVI correlates a patient's identity across the enterprise, including all VistA systems and external systems, such as Department of Defense (DoD) and the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN). The MVI facilitates the sharing of health information, resulting in coordinated and integrated health care for Veterans. New Information Technology systems must be interoperable with the MVI and legacy systems will establish integration by October 1, 2012. The Healthcare Identity Management (HC IdM) Team within VHA's Data Quality Program is the steward of patient identity data, performing maintenance and support activities.

Lockbox First Party provides automated processing of payments made by Veterans who are required to make co-payments for health care services at VA facilities. Veterans receive their bills through the Consolidated Co-payment Processing Center (CCPC) and make payment through Lockbox First Party. Lockbox First Party provides a central collection point for payments through a commercial bank. In addition, Lockbox First Party provides reporting and inquiry capability.

The Post-Deployment Health Strategic Healthcare Group (PDHSHG) Registry System of Records is the information system encompassing the Ionizing Radiation Registry (IRR), the Agent Orange Registry (AOR), and the Gulf War Registry (GWR) which also includes related Depleted Uranium (DU) exams. The IRR area of the Environmental Health Program (EHP) database contains the results of questionnaires completed by Veterans who may have been exposed to ionizing radiation while on active military duty and have had an IRR examination at a VA medical facility.

This table provides a summary of Veteran and Non-Veteran interments by type of interment for fiscal years 2000 through 2014.