VA and DoD IT: Electronic Health Records Interoperability

PURPOSE:

• To examine the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) information technology with an emphasis on the departments’ efforts to develop and implement an interoperable electronic health record (EHR).

BACKGROUND:

• The 2008 NDAA directed DOD and VA to jointly develop and implement a “fully interoperable” EHR, creating an Interagency Program Office to facilitate and coordinate the Departments’ efforts.
• In July, DOD awarded a $4.3 billion contract to upgrade the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application, while the VA continues to modernize and evolve its open-source platform, the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture.
• The EHR program has been listed on the GAO’s high risk list for 2015.
• Additionally, recent inspectors general audits of both departments’ Federal Information Security Management Act compliance identified weaknesses and deficiencies in cybersecurity.