What EPS is
Enterprise Patient Scheduling, or EPS, is a VA scheduling tool that allows VA staff to book approved initial appointments for veterans directly into your scheduling system. The goal is to reduce the back-and-forth that often slows scheduling the first appointment, including repeated phone calls and faxes, and help veterans get connected to care more quickly.
EPS is optional. You do not have to participate to continue receiving VA referrals. There is no cost to participate. EPS is designed to make the scheduling process more efficient while preserving control over your appointment availability.
EPS is an initial scheduling tool. It is not a medical record access solution. It does not replace existing workflows for referral documentation, medical record exchange, follow-up care scheduling, reminders, or broader care coordination.
How EPS works
EPS lets VA schedulers see and book only the appointment times your practice chooses to make available in your scheduling system. After agreeing to participate, VA works with your office staff to confirm the electronic health record (EHR) and scheduling system is integrated. EPS works with more than 150 EHRs and scheduling systems. If interested, reach out to your EHR developer to see if they participate.
VA staff use EPS to identify the Veteran, review the community care referral, and schedule the initial appointment directly into your existing scheduling system. The appointment then appears immediately in your schedule, including the referral authorization number. The referral packet still goes through the usual Community Care Network process and will be sent through your preferred method. Once the appointment is completed, the VA’s own systems are updated with the appointment status.
What EPS means for physicians
EPS is primarily an administrative and access tool. It is not a new clinical platform, and it does not replace the underlying referral or care coordination process. Its value is in helping reduce scheduling friction at the front end of a VA community care referral.
EPS may help your practice by reducing the staff time spent coordinating initial appointments with VA, making it easier to fill available scheduling blocks, and helping Veterans secure appointments faster. It also may improve staff experience by reducing duplicative scheduling work while maintaining control over what provider availability VA can see and use.
What EPS can do
- EPS can allow VA staff to book an approved initial appointment for a Veteran directly into your scheduling system.
- EPS can reduce reliance on repeated phone calls and faxes to confirm appointment availability and patient preferences.
- EPS can display only the scheduling blocks your practice chooses to share with VA, maintain control over scheduling availability.
- EPS can place the appointment directly into your current scheduling system, with the authorization referral number included.
- EPS can support faster scheduling for Veterans and may reduce delays between referral and appointment booking.
What EPS cannot do
- EPS cannot book follow-up appointments as part of the standard workflow. Follow-up appointments are scheduled directly between your staff and the Veteran.
- EPS cannot replace the usual referral packet process. Your staff will still receive the referral packet and authorization information through the existing Community Care Network workflow.
- EPS cannot exchange medical records through the EPS tool itself. Veteran records and medical history are delivered separately through the referral authorization packet and other existing channels, such as fax, secure email, VHIE or HSRM.
- EPS cannot serve as a full care coordination platform. Questions and ongoing coordination still rely on existing VA contacts, including VA schedulers, care chiefs and direct messaging.
- EPS cannot take over your practice’s own reminder and confirmation workflows. The VA provides appointment details to the Veteran once the appointment is scheduled, but any additional reminders or confirmations should continue through your current processes.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I have to participate in EPS to continue receiving VA referrals?
No. Participation in EPS is completely optional. Physicians and practices can continue receiving veteran referrals through their current process.
- Does EPS give VA open access to my schedule?
No. The practice keeps full control over its schedule and can choose which days and times to share with VA for scheduling.
- Will EPS work with my EHR or scheduling system?
EPS has more than 150 integrations with EHRs and scheduling systems. During onboarding, VA works with the practice to confirm system and integration needs. You should reach out to your EHR developer about EPS participation.
- Does EPS schedule all appointments for veterans?
No. EPS is used for the initial consult tied to a new referral. Follow-up appointments are generally scheduled directly between your staff and the veteran.
- Will I still receive the referral packet and authorization information?
Yes. EPS-scheduled appointments include the authorization referral number and that the referral packet will still be sent as part of the usual Community Care Network referral process.
- How will the referral packet and medical documents be sent?
The referral package and medical documents are sent separately from EPS, using your preferred method. Fax is often used by VA schedulers. Other existing channels include secure email, VHIE and HSRM.
- Can I access Veteran records and medical history in EPS?
No. EPS does not provide access to veteran records and medical history. Those materials are delivered through the referral authorization packet and other existing channels.
- Does EPS handle reminders and notifications?
Only in a limited way. Appointment details are provided to the veteran once the appointment is scheduled, but reminder and confirmation workflows should continue through existing practice processes.
- What should I do if an EPS appointment needs to be canceled or rescheduled?
Your staff should contact VA using the information in the referral packet. Working directly with a VA scheduler helps ensure rescheduling and referral authorization updates are handled promptly.
- Does EPS improve care coordination or medical record exchange?
Not directly. EPS is a scheduling tool, not a full interoperability or records exchange solution. Care coordination and information sharing still depend on the existing referral, messaging and VA coordination processes.
- Is there a cost to participate?
There is no cost to participate in EPS.
- What about privacy and security?
EPS complies with HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules and EPS does not access patient files within the scheduling process itself.
What physicians should keep in mind
EPS is not a substitute for broader interoperability. It does not solve medical record exchange. It does not automate follow-up care scheduling. It does not eliminate the need for referral documentation and ongoing coordination with VA. You should assess EPS as a focused scheduling improvement that only aids with the initial appointment, not a complete community care integration solution.
Next steps
If you are interested in EPS, consider the program’s narrow but potentially useful role, then assess whether participation would reduce scheduling burden in your practice without disrupting existing workflows. If you would like to explore participation, contact VA to learn more about onboarding, system compatibility, and what schedule availability they would choose to share.
VA’s materials direct interested providers to contact [email protected] to ask questions and begin the intake process.
