N.Y. Senator Pushes For Interoperable EHR For Veterans

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) is pushing legislation that would force the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to create an interoperable electronic health record (EHR) system for service members.

Schumer’s motive is the “serious delays” in processing nearly 15,000 Upstate New York veterans’ disability and other benefits. He says when a service member goes from active duty to separation and retirement, the VA’s Veteran’s Benefits Administration a goes through a significant amount of time accessing and analyzing DoD medical treatment records.

The Senator is pushing legislation that would force the government agencies to create an interoperable and continuous electronic health record for each veteran to increase the efficiency of processing claims, hire more claims processors, and define quantifiable goals. He will attempt to add these provisions to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) legislation coming to the Senate floor in the coming weeks.  [...]