Welcome to DoD/VA Electronic Health Records Integration and Interoperability
Ready to tackle the most pressing issues on the DoD/VA's EHR strategy?
The process of digitizing current paper records and paper claims has been an inevitable goal in our digital age. The current administration is a major proponent of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) because of their cost-reducing and care-increasing benefits. The commercial world has embraced this transformation and are now working to enhance, streamline and secure their EHR systems.
The Defense Department's medical staff have their AHLTA system and the Veterans Health Administration have VistA. For the past few years the two departments have grappled and spent billions to clarify the use of these legacy systems.
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Will they be upgraded and reinforced?
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Will they be replaced with commercially available solutions?
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Will there be a single unifying system that houses both service members and veterans?
This April, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, recognizing the current state of the EHR adoption strategy, pulled the Department’s current request for proposals regarding new systems because he “didn’t think we knew what the hell we were doing”. In addition he vowed to take personal responsibility of the situation and get a new strategy in place.
With a new found focus on EHR systems, the community is poised for a restart and reset. That leaves many questions and concepts unanswered, but, it does show promise for clearer and more efficient strategy. These are big problems that need big solutions and smart thinking. Join DoD/VA Electronic Health Records Integration to gain knowledge on this conversion process to understand the future of electronic healthcare records.