Hagel Says DoD To Adopt Commercial EHR

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has notified the Department of Defense that it will look for an electronic health record system available on the commercial market rather than develop its own based on the Department of Veterans Affairs VistA system.

"I am convinced that a competitive process is the optimal way to ensure we select the best value solution for DoD," Hagel wrote his May 21 memo to Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall and Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica Wright.

The memo was first obtained and reported by Nextgov. In his memo, Hagel said he based his decision on the results of a 30-day review of the Integrated Electronic Health Record program by a group of leading senior DoD officials.