Software will provide
info on care for patients

Question: I feel it is important for VA patients to be well informed about their health care treatment options. What is the VA doing to ensure this?

Answer: The VA is adopting a new computer program to help patients make more informed decisions about their care. VA will introduce its Electronic Support for Patient Decisions initiative at all 158 medical centers within a year. Customized software called iMedConsent will provide patients with information about treatment options and standardize procedures among clinicians.

The iMedConsent program takes physicians step by step through the informed consent process, displays detailed educational materials about risks and benefits of proposed treatments, generates and stores consent forms, incorporates electronic signatures into records and imports information from patient records. Although the program is designed primarily to assist physicians, it also guides informed-consent discussions between doctors and patients. The iMedConsent software was developed by the VA's National Center for Ethics in Health Care with Atlanta-based software developer Dialog Medical. For more information on informed consent, contact the VA at 433-0600.

Q: Is the VA providing flu shots again this flu season?

A: The VA is offering flu shots to registered veterans who are 65 and older or have chronic diseases are high-risk candidates for complications from the flu. Call the VA at 433-7676.