By: Bob Brewin
07/22/08
Although its electronic health record systems has significant limitations, the Military Health System does not plan to replace it, according to the head of the Defense Department's health affairs.
Comment on this article in The Forum. Instead, MHS plans to work toward "converged evolution" of the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA) electronic health record system and VistA, the Veterans Health Information System and Technology Architecture, said Dr. S. Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs said in an interview with NextGov.
VA Secretary Dr. James Peake is personally involved in the effort to converge the electronic health record systems of the two agencies. Casscells did not provide any details on how the systems would be combined or on a timeline. But he expects a decision to be made within a week. An MHS spokesman said Congress would be briefed on the plan by the end of the month. A VA spokeswoman did not return calls for comment by deadline.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20080722_6559.php
