The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday announced at an American Health Information Community meeting that they will work to create a common inpatient electronic health record, according to Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs William Winkenwerder, Health IT Strategist reports.
Nicholson said the program could "reshape health care for America" and serve as a model for other health care systems to implement health IT, which could result in significant savings for taxpayers. The announcement, however, revealed few details about the plan, Health IT Strategist reports.
Winkenwerder said both departments were looking to upgrade their systems, and the new systems could have the potential for seamless care for seriously wounded active-duty military personnel.
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt "noted the significance" of both systems developing standards advocated by the AHIC, according to Health IT Strategist.
In 1988, the DOD's Composite Health Care System was so modified from the VA's clinical IT system that the transmission of health data between the two departments was not possible (Robeznieks, Health IT Strategist, 1/23).