DoD, VA Health IT Records Require Speaking in 'Same Language'

The Defense and Veterans Affairs Departments have been pursuing creation of a single, compatible health IT record. It would start when service members enlist and would stay with them after they muster out of DoD and become clients of Veterans Affairs health care.

Beth McGrath, the deputy chief management officer at DoD, joined joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin and Amy Morris ahead of the 2011 AFCEA Bethesda Health IT Day. McGrath discussed why an interoperable electronic health record — or EHR — makes sense and how the project is coming along.

"We have a terrific opportunity between our two organizations," McGrath said of DoD and the VA, "because we have a common customer &mdash and our common customer is our military member. And so that really provides terrific alignment between two organizations and gives us, really, a common focus."...