The Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments have launched their fourth virtual lifetime electronic record (VLER) data sharing pilot in Spokane, Wash., the latest in a program aimed at testing exchange of patient information over the nationwide health information network (NHIN).
The Spokane VA Medical Center and Fairchild Air Force Base will partner with Inland Northwest Health Services, a Spokane health information exchange network, to make the private clinical records of veterans and service members accessible to their federal health providers, the VA said.
Since more than half of veterans and active duty service members receive some portion of their healthcare from private providers, it is essential that VA or DOD and commercial providers be able to exchange clinical records to be able to deliver the most effective treatment. More than 5,500 active military personnel are stationed at Fairchild and thousands of veterans reside in the Spokane region.
The Inland exchange network connects 38 hospitals, including 4,000 physicians, 450 clinics and physician offices and 3.5 million electronic medical records, according to the VA.
VLER is the Obama administration's effort to develop a single electronic system to track the medical, benefits and administrative records of service members when they are inducted into the military throughout the remainder of their lives as veterans. The NHIN is a set of standards and services that enables providers to share patient data securely via the Internet.
VLER will help to seamlessly provide the most effective care and services to veterans and service members, said Eric Shinseki, VA secretary.
"This new technology allows safer, more secure, and private access to electronic health information," he said.
VA has three other VLER pilots under way. The San Diego pilot started early this year, one in the Norfolk, Tidewater, Va., region goes live later this month, and another in Indianapolis was recently announced.
