In this episode of Minnesota Military Radio, we explore two critical advancements in Veteran healthcare at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System: a major shift toward digital pharmacy services and a proactive approach to limb preservation.
Guests Include:
- Dr. Lisa Anderson – Chief of Pharmacy, Minneapolis VA
- Stephanie Walek – Pharmacy Program Manager, Minneapolis VA
- Dr. Wei Li – Chief of Vascular Surgery, Minneapolis VA
- Dawn Strief – Nurse Practitioner, Minneapolis VA
- Shanon Harper – Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Minneapolis VA
Part 1: The Move to Paperless Pharmacy
Chief of Pharmacy Dr. Lisa Anderson and Program Manager Stephanie Walek discuss the new transition to digital prescription information.
-
What’s Changing: Starting in early 2026, the Minneapolis VA is replacing bulky paper inserts with QR codes on prescription labels.
-
Why It Matters: This initiative reduces waste (saving over 34,000 sheets of paper annually) and provides Veterans with 24/7 access to instructional videos and medication guides via their smartphones.
-
Veteran Choice: Paper copies remain available upon request for those who prefer them.
Part 2: Programs focused on limb preservation.
Dr. Wei Li, the new Chief of Vascular Surgery, introduces us to two Nurse Practitioners Dawn Strief and Shanon Harper who share information about life-changing initiatives that use tele-health and focus on limb preservation.
- PAVE: Prevention of Amputation in Veterans
- FIRM: Follow –up Initiative for the Recovery, Retention and Management of Patients
