Novel Cloud Platform Facilitates COVID-19 Resource Distribution Across VHA Facilities

A unique facility registration tool developed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) facilitated the efficient distribution of more than 9 million COVID-19 vaccines and 100,000 doses of COVID-19 therapies with minimal staffing support. Researchers reported their findings in a poster presentation at AMCP 2023.

Therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 are considered scarce resources, and government organizations monitor their distribution and use through precise data tracking requirements, researchers said.

“VHA is an integrated health system with unique challenges and opportunities, and therefore a novel platform was required to meet these requirements,” said the researchers. 

The platform was designed as a cloud-based facility registration tool and was intended to use limited resources and adhere to data collection mandates without increasing administrative workload. To facilitate the distribution of COVID-19 resources, the platform shared information such as shipping addresses, facility preferences, inventory, waste, transfers, patient-specific eligibility, business hours, and more with VHA leadership and government agencies. 

To ensure transparency, all VHA employees had access to platform dashboards, researchers said. The platform registered more than 500 VHA facilities and 3600 users. 

“Over 9.3 million doses of vaccine products were distributed to date along with over 100,000 doses/courses of therapeutic agents,” researchers said, adding that core staff averaged 3 to 5 full-time employee equivalents. 

The researchers concluded the platform was user-friendly and efficiently utilized VHA resources, reduced potential errors, improved overall data consistency and usability, and removed the burden for facilities to create their own, individual systems. 

“Overall, the output of this platform has been positively received by VA leadership and external federal agencies that rely on this data,” concluded researchers. 

Reference:
Shumunov A, Martin J, Cunningham F, Smith T, Barrett A. Integrated health system scarce resource (COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic) centralized distribution and tracking program. Poster presented at: AMCP 2023; March 21-24, 2023; San Antonio, TX.