VAIRRS Ambassador Program

In each issue of the VAIRRS Newsletter (every other month), a leading site utilizing the VAIRRS program is selected as a VAIRRS Ambassador. Facilities are evaluated based on participation, enthusiasm, and commitment to improving the system and contributing to the benefits the VAIRRS enterprise has to offer. The select VAIRRS ambassador serves as a great role model to other sites across the country, who want to learn more about VAIRRS and how the program can make their job more efficient and effective.

VAIRRS MARCH AMBASSADOR:COATESVILLE VA MEDICAL CENTER

VAIRRS Experience:

Coatesville VA Medical Center (VAMC) transitioned from an electronic PDF application to VAIRRS in January 2021, after six months of prep to upload studies and train users. Coatesville VAMC provided VAIRRS trainings to all users and offered additional trainings in smaller chunks to committee members and some one-on-one training to investigators, if needed. It was a lot of information presented in a short time, which was hard for some users to fully grasp.

To reduce burden, Coatesville VAMC uploaded studies with the most recent approved package and all current approved versions of documents. A note-to-file was done stating that previously approved documents were stored elsewhere.

Coatesville VAMC created a mock study in the VAIRRS sandbox for committee members to practice reviews and navigate VAIRRS. They do a pre-meeting to go through the review process. A post-meeting is done to address any questions and any possible recommendations for improvement.

Coatesville VAMC has found that incorporating step-by-step screen shots of VAIRRS throughout the local application reduces confusion for the investigators submitting projects.