EHRs

• Electronic Health Records

The Department of Veterans Affairs has completed its 12-week-long strategic review of its electronic health record (EHR) modernization program and is getting set to announce next steps in the program over the next two weeks.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT is focusing on making health care system interoperability more robust and preventing information-blocking across health IT networks and information exchanges, National Coordinator for Health IT Micky Tripathi said.

• Health care

IHS's acting director spoke on the current state and future needs of the agency as Congress considers the FY 2022 budget.

Veterans Affairs leadership prioritizes pandemic response and considers possible shifts in electronic health record implementation.

• HealthCast

The Indian Health Service is looking at how tools like telehealth and EHRs will impact tribal populations long term.

The Defense Health Agency is working to integrate and consolidate a variety of networks and systems across military treatment facilities (MTFs) as it continues to absorb the various military hospitals and clinics across the defense health space.

The U.S. Coast Guard deployed its new electronic health record (EHR) system at four pilot sites in the Pacific area at the beginning of September, with support from the Department of Homeland Security, the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Former Program Executive Office Defense Healthcare Management Systems Program Executive Officer Bill Tinston has transitioned to the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization program office as its first official director, a position in which he intends to operationalize the FEHRM as it delivers health IT solutions for the single, common federal EHR.

As the Defense Health Agency continues to undergo organizational and technological changes, especially amid recent challenges around COVID-19, the agency is looking to further strengthen its resiliency to both gradual and sudden disruptions.

Although the agency paused MHS Genesis deployment during the pandemic, leaders have continued progressing health record modernization alongside VA.

The Defense Health Agency and military officials are providing medical and technological personnel and resources across the country.

• Electronic Health Records

Easing data sharing across health care holds potential for all stakeholders, from day-to-day care to public health crises.