The House Appropriations Committee has approved $344 million in development funds for an integrated electronic health record for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a NextGov report.
The amount is $92 million more than the $252 million the VA requested. The House has specified, however, that the funds would only be granted if they are spent on developing an open-architecture system to be shared by the DOD and VA. The House has also required that the departments submit a budget for an integrated EHR and a timeline for deployment.
The DOD and VA first launched the effort to create an integrated EHR in 2009, according to the report. The effort aims at ensuring that all DOD and VA health facilities have service members' and veterans' health information available throughout their lifetime.
Veterans Affairs, Dept. of Defense to Expand Health Information Exchanges
IOM: Departments of Defense, Veteran Affairs Need More Interoperable EHRs
The amount is $92 million more than the $252 million the VA requested. The House has specified, however, that the funds would only be granted if they are spent on developing an open-architecture system to be shared by the DOD and VA. The House has also required that the departments submit a budget for an integrated EHR and a timeline for deployment.
The DOD and VA first launched the effort to create an integrated EHR in 2009, according to the report. The effort aims at ensuring that all DOD and VA health facilities have service members' and veterans' health information available throughout their lifetime.
More Articles on DOD and VA:
DOD Shifts Control of Health IT BudgetVeterans Affairs, Dept. of Defense to Expand Health Information Exchanges
IOM: Departments of Defense, Veteran Affairs Need More Interoperable EHRs