The U.S. Secretaries of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Defense
(DOD) signed a joint statement Sept. 26 pledging that their two departments
will align their plans, strategies and structures as they roll out a new
electronic health records (EHR) system that will allow VA and DOD to share
patient data seamlessly.
Signed by Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and VA Secretary
Robert Wilkie, the joint statement reinforces both departments’ commitment to
ensuring the successful transition from a legacy patient-data system to a
modernized one that will continue to support active-duty service members,
Veterans and their families.
“The joint statement between DOD and VA represents tangible
evidence of our commitment to change how we deliver Veteran-focused,
provider-friendly care,” Wilkie said. “The new EHR system will be interoperable
with DOD, while also improving VA’s ability to collaborate and share
information with community care providers. This will ease the burden on Service
members as they transition from military careers and will be supported by
multiple medical providers throughout their lives.”
VA signed a contract with Cerner Corp. May 17 to replace
VA’s 40-year-old legacy Veterans Integrated System Technology Architecture
(VistA) health care records technology over the next 10 years with the new
Cerner system, which is in the pilot phase at DOD. Collaborating with DOD will
ensure that VA: understands the challenges encountered as DOD deploys its EHR
system called Military Health System Genesis (MHS GENESIS); adapts an approach
by applying lessons learned to anticipate and mitigate known issues; assesses
prospective efficiencies to help deploy faster; and delivers an EHR that is
fully interoperable.
"We are committed to partnering with the VA to support
the lifetime care of our Service members, Veterans and their families,"
Mattis said. "This modern electronic health record will ensure those who
serve our nation have quality health care as they transition from Service
member to Veteran."
“The EHR will give health care providers a full picture of
patient medical history, driving better clinical outcomes,” Wilkie said. “It
will also help us identify Veterans proactively who are at higher risk for
issues, such as opioid addiction and suicide, so health care providers can
intervene earlier and save lives.”
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