Federal EHR helps catch lung cancer earlier for Veterans

Since deploying the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) in March 2024, Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (Lovell FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois, has increased the number of lung cancer screenings it provides to Veterans by 75 percent, thanks to the Comprehensive Adult Wellness Registry tool included in the new system. Lung cancer screening (LCS) coordinators use the tool to identify and engage Veterans considered at risk for lung cancer based on their history of tobacco use and/or other factors documented in the Federal EHR.

“Population Health Management,” a strategy that takes a proactive approach to care coordination and patient engagement to improve health outcomes, involves staff reaching directly to Veterans through traditional mail and electronic notifications. This leads to more scheduled screenings, which are critical for early detection of cancer.

In the past, providers would send LCS coordinators direct consults for a Veteran’s initial and annual lung cancer screenings. The coordinator would then review each chart and order the scans. Now, using the Registries feature within the Federal EHR, the coordinator receives a list with high-risk patients already identified. The coordinator then sends letters to the identified Veterans, screens respondents over the phone, and schedules scans for eligible patients. This streamlined process allows coordinators to schedule and complete more screenings than they could previously.

Once enrolled in the screening program, eligible Veterans receive an annual low-dose CT scan. An LCS coordinator uses the Comprehensive Adult Wellness Registry tool to track follow-ups and ensure results are shared with the Veteran’s care team, including primary care providers, radiologists and nurses. The tool also highlights abnormal scans and reminds providers when Veterans are overdue for screenings.

“We’ve worked to expand lung cancer screenings, growing from 864 to nearly 1,368 patients and sending nearly 900 letters to encourage scheduling,” said Susan Ruscheinsky, LCS coordinator at Lovell FHCC. “Referrals have risen to 10 per day. Using the LCS Patient List from Registries, we’ve increased our screening rate from 35% to 53%. These efforts are driving early detection and better patient outcomes.”

This forward-leaning engagement is already benefiting Veterans. Lovell FHCC is receiving roughly three calls per day from Veterans scheduling lung cancer screenings; before its Federal EHR go-live, the facility averaged just one inquiry per day.