VLER Keeps Cool Under GAO Heat

It's been a hot topic of debate, in some circles, this spring: Will the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs manage to align and modernize their respective systems in order to establish a Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER)?

Fueling the fire, the Government Accountability Office has publicly criticized the VLER initiative. Proponents of the sprawling project, however, remain steadfast that even with finite resources they've already made progress other health IT initiatives would do well to emulate. In short: The GAO's report calls for more comprehensive planning between VLER's sponsors, the VA and the Department of Defense.

VA officials, health information exchange executives and private sector partners counter that VLER is actually serving as a seminal driver of National Health Information Network protocols that will enable any-to-any health information exchange nationwide.

"The VLER undertaking is truly historic," said Jeff Odell, senior vice president of business development and marketing at MedVirginia. "This initiative involves not just two federal agencies, but also brought in the civilian sector at the same time."