Navy Medicine CIO: We Are Communicating With VA On EHR Efforts

The CIO for Navy Medicine insisted this week that the Department of Defense is maintaining open communication lines with the Department of Veterans Affairs on electronic health record efforts.

In the closing keynote at the Government Health IT Conference & Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Navy Medicine CIO CDR Cayetano Thornton--joined by Military Health System CIO David Bowen--candidly addressed concerns about a widening gap between the two agencies following Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's announcement last month that DoD would be exploring commercial options for its own EHR system.

"There's some confusion … [but] it's not true that we're moving away from the VA," Thornton said. "We're an extension of the VA; they're a part of our brother and sisterhood. The VA has the VistA system and that works for them. Within DoD our requirements are somewhat unique."