Meeting the moment: Advancing innovation and interoperability in veterans’ healthcare

At the 2025 AvaSure Symposium (Sept 15–17, Charlotte, NC), Nick Muhlenbruch, Sean Hughes and Nathan Naylor will be in attendance to share how CGI is helping government and healthcare leaders:

• Align virtual care models with emerging policy and reimbursement frameworks 
• Drive interoperability across VA, DoD, and civilian systems 
• Apply lessons from early adopters to scale innovation globally

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) stands at a critical juncture. With an aging veteran population, workforce shortages, and budget constraints, the need for forward-thinking innovation in care delivery has never been more urgent. The complexity of operating compounds these challenges within a large, integrated health system with fragmented data, inconsistent quality, and limited interoperability. 

With Secretary Collins reaffirming VA’s commitment to delivering world-class healthcare to our nation’s veterans—and with a $67 billion increase in VA funding underscoring this priority—VHA now has a significant opportunity to overcome longstanding operational and clinical challenges. By investing in scalable capabilities that promote data integration, system-wide interoperability, and coordinated care delivery, VHA can advance its mission and improve outcomes across the veteran population.

To meet the needs of today’s veterans—and anticipate those of tomorrow—VHA must rethink how it designs, delivers, and manages care. This transformation will require a patient-centric approach powered by data integration, scalable technologies and a firm commitment to system-wide interoperability.

At the heart of this evolution is the ability to unify and act on data. Large healthcare systems, such as the VHA, often face difficulty integrating disparate datasets across electronic health records, claims systems, and third-party platforms. Without cohesive, standardized data, care teams are left without the insights they need to make timely, informed decisions—ultimately affecting outcomes for veterans.

Federal agencies seeking to address these gaps should prioritize solutions built on four core principles:

•    Data ownership and control that remains in the hands of the agency and its beneficiaries.
•    Standards-based integration to support future scalability and vendor-agnostic interoperability.
•    Security and privacy frameworks that align with federal mandates and evolving cyber threats.
•    Collaborative partnerships that bring together government, industry and clinical stakeholders to design tailored, sustainable solutions.

Incorporating emerging technologies—such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and real-time analytics—can further accelerate VHA’s transformation. These tools enable smarter decision-making, streamline administrative workflows and identify risks before they escalate into more costly outcomes. Agencies must also consider expanding support for remote and home-based care through wearable technology, growing telehealth infrastructure, and strengthening oversight and workforce training to ensure the long-term success of modernization initiatives.

The path forward requires not only technical integration but cultural and operational alignment. True interoperability is not just about connecting systems—it’s about enabling seamless care across the continuum, enhancing both patient and provider experiences, and delivering on the promise of value-based healthcare.

To support this kind of transformation, CGI delivers tailored integration solutions and collaborates with strategic technology partners to design best-of-breed, enterprise-ready systems that meet the needs of all stakeholders. Whether through our Harmony Connected Care Medical Module (C2M2), which enables real-time data sharing and remote care coordination, or platforms like CGI Atlas360 and OMNI360, which provide advanced analytics and holistic patient views, we ensure our solutions are purpose-built for government and capable of evolving with the mission.

By embracing innovation and grounding modernization efforts in these principles, federal health agencies like VHA can navigate complexity while staying mission-focused—ultimately honoring their commitment to those who have served by ensuring they receive the high-quality care they deserve.