The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are engaged in ongoing efforts to share medical information, which is important in helping to ensure high-quality health care for active-duty military personnel and veterans. These efforts include a long-term program to develop modernized health information systems based on computable data: that is, data in a format that a computer application can act on-for example, to provide alerts to clinicians of drug allergies. In addition, the departments are engaged in short-term initiatives involving existing systems. GAO was asked to summarize its recent testimony on the history and current status of these long- and short-term efforts to share health information. To develop that testimony, GAO reviewed its previous work, analyzed documents, and interviewed VA and DOD officials about current status and future plans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are engaged in ongoing efforts to share medical information, which is important in helping to ensure high-quality health care for active-duty military personnel and veterans. These efforts include a long-term program to develop modernized health information systems based on computable data: that is, data in a format that a computer application can act on-for example, to provide alerts to clinicians of drug allergies. In addition, the departments are engaged in near-term initiatives involving existing systems. GAO was asked to testify on the history and current status of these long- and near-term efforts to share health information. To develop this testimony, GAO reviewed its previous work, analyzed documents, and interviewed VA and DOD officials about current status and future plans.

For over a decade, the VA and the DoD have been engaged in efforts to improve their ability to share electronic health info. In addition, Congress has mandated that VA and DoD jointly develop and implement, by 9/30/09, electronic health record systems or capabilities that are fully interoperable and compliant with applicable fed. standards. The experience of VA and DoD in this area is also relevant to broader efforts to advance the nationwide use of health info. tech. (IT) in both the public and private health care sectors. This statement describes VA's and DoD's achievements and challenges in developing interoperable electronic health records, including brief comments on how these apply to the broader national health IT effort. Illustrations.