VA And DoD Hint At iEHR Mobile?

Lt. Dan | HIStalk Connect | June 26, 2013

Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs have announced that they will begin working on a mobile app that will integrate data from the electronic health records of both departments and combine them into a single mobile platform for clinicians. This is a significant announcement as it follows a failed $12 billion attempt at creating a truly integrated single electronic health record, called iEHR, that was to be used to deliver care across both environments.

In February, representatives from both the VA and DoD announced that they would be halting the iEHR program, which had been funded to deliver the single, integrated health record to better serve both active soldiers and retired veterans. Shortly after the announcement, VA CIO Roger Baker and CTO Peter Levin stepped down from their positions. At the same time, the DoD issued a RFI for a commercial EHR system that would replace its aging legacy system. These events left no room for doubt that the fundamental goals of the iEHR program had been abandoned.