The Military Health System (MHS) is about to deploy a program worldwide through which doctors and dentists can share a common electronic health record.
AHLTA Dental is a component of AHLTA, the military’s EHR system. It will build on the foundation created by the medical component of AHLTA. A single, unified clinical data repository will support medical and dental providers throughout MHS.
With the introduction of AHLTA Dental, MHS will become the first health service organization to have an integrated medical and dental EHR, said Col. David Gilbertson, program manager for AHLTA.
“Access to the integrated electronic health record should improve clinical decision-making through the use of complete medical records, test results and images,” Gilbertson said.
Researchers are discovering more links between oral symptoms and medical conditions, he added. “Pain in the jaw can be a sign of the onset of heart attack,” he said. “Bad breath and bleeding gums can be signs of diabetes.”
AHLTA-Dental will enable dentists to record patient encounters electronically and use graphical charting tools to record a patient’s oral conditions, disease and treatment needs. The application also supports the charting of complete dental treatments, including teeth cleanings and periodontal, endodontic and prosthodontic evaluations and treatments.
Dental health plays a role in determining a soldier’s deployment status, Gilbertson said. “You need to be fit to fight and fit to bite to be cleared to deploy,” he said.
Military dentists have long used information technology systems such as the Army’s Corporate Dental Application, the Navy’s Dental Common Access System and the Air Force’s Dental Data System to track and monitor the dental health of service members.
From the battlefield to the home front: Managing medical data
Government Health IT presents Col. Claude Hines Jr., program manager for the Defense Health Information Management System, in this recent InSight eSeminar. Col. Hines discusses the health information technology and tactical challenges faced by the military medical community in Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict. In doing so, he describes the current information technology solutions for transferring clinical data between battlefield care givers to health care personnel at military treatment facilities worldwide.
