Accession Number:

AD1173568

Title:

Electronic Health Record: Program Office Improvements Needed to Strengthen Management of VA and DOD Efforts to Achieve Full Interoperability

Descriptive Note:

[Technical Report, Congressional Testimony]

Corporate Author:

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE WASHINGTON DC

Personal Author(s):

• Melvin, Valerie C.

Report Date:

2009-07-14

Pagination or Media Count:

17

Abstract:

For over a decade, the Department of Veterans Affairs VA and the Department of Defense DOD have been working on initiatives to share electronic health information. To expedite their efforts, Congress mandated in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 that VA and DOD establish a joint interagency program office to act as a single point of accountability in the development of electronic health records systems or capabilities that allow for full interoperability generally, the ability of systems to exchange data by September 30, 2009. In this statement, GAO summarizes findings from its upcoming report, focusing on progress in setting up the interagency program office and the departments actions to achieve fully interoperable capabilities by September 30, 2009. To do so, GAO analyzed agency documentation on project status and conducted interviews with agency officials.

Descriptors:

• information systems
• information exchange
• health care
• personnel management
• united states government
• department of defense
• health informatics
• governments
• health services
• united states
• accountability
• congress
• digital communications
• electronic mail
• health care facilities
• military medicine
• program management

Subject Categories:

• Information Science
• Administration and Management

Distribution Statement:

[A, Approved For Public Release]