At the Government Health IT Conference and Exhibition last week, two military CIOs discussed efforts by the departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense to share electronic health records, FierceHealthIT reports (Bowman, FierceHealthIT, 6/14).
Background on Joint EHR Efforts
DOD and VA first launched an effort to create a joint integrated EHR, or iEHR system, in 2009. The iEHR project aimed to allow every service member to maintain a single EHR throughout his or her career and lifetime.
However, DOD and VA officials in February announced plans to halt the iEHR project and instead focus on making their current EHR systems more interoperable.
During a congressional budget hearing in April, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said that his agency is moving forward with plans to share EHR data with DOD. VA plans to use its existing VistA EHR system as its core platform and encouraged DOD to also adopt the VistA EHR system
DOD Secretary Chuck Hagel in a memo obtained by NextGov wrote that the agency will consider a commercial EHR system as part of its efforts to establish an integrated EHR program with VA.
During a Senate Budget Committee hearing last week, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) criticized DOD’s decision not to develop an integrated EHR system with VA (iHealthBeat, 6/13).
Military CIOs’ Comments
Commander Cayetano Thornton, CIO of Navy Medicine, said, “There’s some confusion … [but] it’s not true that we’re moving away from the VA,” adding, “We’re an extension of the VA; they’re a part of our brother and sisterhood. The VA has the VistA system and that works for them. Within DOD, our requirements are somewhat unique.”
Thornton stressed that a commercial solution is “hands down” the best option for DOD. He said, “Is it possible it could be VistA? Maybe. But there are commercial-grade solutions that could literally plug and play and provide the utility we need in terms of health information.”
Thorton said, “That doesn’t mean we’re not talking to the VA,” adding, “It’s actually the opposite” (FierceHealthIT, 6/14).
Military Health System CIO David Bowen said that the length of the system procurement and implementation process is unknown but that officials do have an idea of what the core EHR will look like.
He noted that the final system will depend on:
- Vendor responses;
- Suggestions the contract winner brings to the table; and
- Other feedback DOD receives (Sullivan, Healthcare IT News, 6/14).
Thorton said, “In the end, I anticipate a world-class system that allows us to capture and exchange health information within DOD and VA, and with our commercial partners”
