VA, Kaiser plan to link electronic medical records
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
By Bernie Monegain and Molly Merrill, Healthcare IT News
The Department of Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente are
launching a pilot program to exchange electronic health record
information using the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN)
created by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The pilot program slated to begin mid-December 2009, will connect
Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect and the VA's electronic health record
system, VistA, two of the largest EHR systems in the country.
Officials said starting this week, VA and Kaiser Permanente will
send a joint letter to Veterans in the San Diego area who receive care
from both institutions, to invite Veterans to participate in the pilot
program. Veterans, who respond and ask to participate, will enable
their public and private sector healthcare providers and doctors to
share specific health information electronically.
"The ability to share critical health information is essential to
interoperability," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K.
Shinseki. "Utilizing the NHIN's standards and network will allow
organizations like VA and the Department of Defense to partner with
private sector health care providers to promote better, faster and
safer care for Veterans."
Officials said VA, DoD, and HHS have been working closely to create
a system that will modernize the way healthcare is delivered and
benefits are administered. DoD will be included in the next phase of
the pilot program in early 2010.
"This partnership demonstrates the power of a large-scale EHR that
safely connects several care systems. Securely digitizing American's
healthcare information is only the first step in realizing the cost
saving and improved quality benefits possible with healthcare
technology," said Andrew M. Wiesenthal, MD, associate executive
director of The Permanente Federation. "The reality is that most people
receive care from multiple providers. Without the ability for
caregivers and patients to have access to their data, all of the time,
there is the possibility for wasted time and resources duplicating
tests and procedures. Exchange of current health record data at the
point of treatment also improves quality, allowing medical decisions to
be made quickly, with the relevant background."
