Investing in Automation and Artificial Intelligence
The TMF's funds are primarily targeted toward urgent cybersecurity defense needs as well as technology modernization to reduce fraud and improve service delivery. The fund’s board is also encouraging government agencies to invest in future technologies, including automation and artificial intelligence.
As part of its most recent funding efforts, GSA also announced plans to spend $19.7 million to improve communications tools for the antitrust division of the Department of Justice, implementing chat apps and other technologies that have become standard in corporate settings over the past decade.
“This effort will free up time from employees currently spent mitigating IT deficiencies to instead focus on the enforcement work they were hired to do,” said Walt Cain, the division’s executive officer, in a statement.
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Addressing Veteran Electronic Health Record Issues
GSA also says it’s targeting more than $6 million for the Armed Forces Retirement Home to modernize electronic health records systems for its more than 1,100 residences in Washington, D.C., and Mississippi. The upgrades will represent improvements over the current decade-old system, which has a high rate of data entry inconsistencies and errors and is not interoperable with the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs or private sector provider networks, GSA says.
"This transformative project represents a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to provide the highest quality healthcare to our residents,” said John RisCassi, the retirement home’s COO, in a statement. “By modernizing our EHR system, we’re not just upgrading technology, we’re enhancing the lives of some of our Nation’s bravest heroes."