Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM)

VA and DoD share more medical information than any two health care organizations in the country. Having an EHR that can follow our Veterans during their treatment is one of the most important things we can do to ensure their safety, health, and general well-being.

VA and DoD have been working together for more than 17 years on these challenges. While we have established initial interoperability between VA and DoD for key aspects of the health record, seamless care is fundamentally constrained by a complex environment.

On June 5, 2017, Secretary Shulkin addressed this 17-year challenge to modernize and merge disparate systems and health records when he announced his decision to adopt the same EHR system as DoD. The adoption of the same system between VA and DoD will facilitate a seamless link between the Departments. Veterans will have a single lifetime record from the time they begin military service. Veterans won’t bear the burden of tracking down their records and maintaining copies to bring to their providers.

Establishing a complete and accurate health record in a single common system is critical to achieving the highest quality of care and patient safety. EHRM will enable VA to keep pace with rapidly evolving improvements in health information technology and cybersecurity.

Beyond managing the electronic health record, EHRM enhances scheduling resources that are critical to Veterans’ access to the care they need, when they need it.