MHS Gives Glimpse of Future HIT

In a session so crowded that conference officials closed the doors and effectively locked attendees out, Military Health System acting CIO Karen Guice, MD, offered a glimpse of the future of MHS health IT.

“The MHS likes to foster innovation, things that improve patient care,” said Guice, who is also the principal deputy assistant, Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. Citing examples, Guice pointed to Blue Button, Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER), the Joint Theater Trauma Registry and the joint iEHR between the VA and the DoD as innovations that have bolstered health for military service people and may light the way for private healthcare providers, much the way that the practice of triage, now in every ER, initiated in theater.

“We are a global enterprise, unlike many private sector plans,” Guice said. “We’re on ships and airplanes.” That worldwide reach makes it challenging to move health information around securely, but the military has made great strides, she added...