Case Study

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform care delivery and reduce administrative burden. For example, AI-powered initiatives can help the clinicians who serve Veterans by streamlining manual, document-heavy workflows. However, moving these ideas from research into trusted, tested solutions is challenging.

It’s also critical for VA to implement AI-powered solutions in a way that’s scalable and human-centered. This requires rigorous testing and evidence of value, security, and adoption. VA’s National Artificial Intelligence Institute (NAII) tapped Aquia Nava II LCC, our joint venture with Aquia Inc., to help develop a human-centered model for implementing AI tools. Our shared work helped enable the agency to explore AI-powered solutions that improve VA staff and Veteran experiences. 

Approach

The joint venture helped NAII adopt a delivery-first, human-centered model for enabling AI solutions. This established the multidisciplinary structure and rigor needed to mature AI-powered use cases from concept through pilot. We also helped NAII coordinate a multi-vendor, cross-functional team that worked with the agency’s product lifecycle, from discovery to evaluation.

This approach integrated human-centered design with value-driven product management. We helped NAII conduct ethnographic research and clinician interviews to map actual workflows, ensuring AI-powered solutions aligned with operational needs. For every use case, we helped NAII develop baseline metrics, hypotheses, and criteria to measure return-on-investment before committing to full pilots.

Outcomes

This engagement with NAII established a repeatable, scalable model for AI delivery and intake. We helped shepherd high-priority use cases from abstract ideas into structured project discovery with workflows, reducing the risk of deploying AI-powered solutions that clinicians wouldn't adopt or that would fail to deliver measurable value. The rigor and structure proved that VA can responsibly advance AI adoption at enterprise scale while maintaining the trustworthiness Veterans and clinicians require.

Most significantly, this work helped prepare NAII for human-centered delivery. VA can now test AI-powered solutions against clinician workflows before full deployment, align solutions with operational needs, and make evidence-based scaling decisions — all within the governance framework that protects Veterans and ensures responsible AI use.

Process

Within the first month of the engagement, the Aquia-Nava joint venture helped NAII launch discovery planning and use-case alignment. Even before gaining personally identifiable information (PII) or PHI access, the team was able to maintain momentum through two-week agile sprints with VA-approved goals and deliverables.

The joint venture also helped NAII develop disciplines including program management, product strategy, user research, AI and machine learning, solution architecture, and security compliance. This multidisciplinary integration helped NAII assess build-versus-buy approaches, configure low- and no-code AI-powered solutions for evaluation, and navigate VA's governance requirements.

On the technical side, the Aquia-Nava joint venture helped NAII develop AI-assisted capabilities that addressed documented pain points. These include:

• Ingesting and summarizing documents to reduce clinician review time

• Optimizing discharge documentation to improve Veteran understanding

• Exploring imaging-based AI-powered tools

The joint venture helped NAII conduct dozens of stakeholder and clinician interviews, supporting multiple concurrent AI products at NAII. Standardized sprint cadence and reporting gave leadership clear visibility into value, risk, and readiness for scaling — enabling confident investment decisions backed by evidence.

Conclusion

The joint venture’s work with NAII established a scalable, human-centered model for implementing AI-powered tools. Together, we set a foundation for AI that enhances human capability rather than replacing it. Now, VA can develop AI-powered tools that reduce clinician burnout, improve care coordination and discharge outcomes, and increase Veteran trust in digital health tools. With a proven delivery model in place, NAII can confidently pursue AI-powered initiatives that serve Veterans faster and more reliably.

Aquia Nava II LLC partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs National Artificial Intelligence Institute under the VA Secure, Performant, Reliable, and User-Centered Experiences (SPRUCE) contract vehicle to build trustworthy AI delivery capacity within the Veterans Health Administration.