Many health care providers have focused on replacing current or outdated electronic health record systems to enhance clinical performance. Now, the U.S. Department of Defense has opened the door for business proposals for its EHR modernization project to achieve similar goals.
Clinical Innovation and Technology reported that the DOD project is worth an estimated $11 billion as the government agency seeks to bring interoperable, off-the-shelf EHR software to the military. The goal is to expand its far-reaching system while improving data sharing with outside care providers, like the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The project will also replace outdated legacy systems, such as the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application, which is the DOD's current EHR platform.
"We are not just buying an off-the-shelf system; we're really looking to modernize how the department delivers healthcare," Christopher Miller, program executive officer at Defense Healthcare Management Systems, said in a press release. "Ultimately, program success will result in continued improvement in patient safety, quality of care and readiness of forces worldwide."
Officials are expected to choose a vendor in the third quarter of the 2015 fiscal year. The interoperability between information systems is one of the top priorities of the DOD project, as the agency wants to be able share data with both the private and public sectors regardless of where patients are treated. Without interfacing together, the systems have the potential to negatively impact patient care.
According to EHR Intelligence, the DOD proposal has already attracted interest from some big names in health care IT, including IBM, Allscripts, HP and Epic.
Federal agencies adopting EHRs
The DOD is not alone in implementing EHRs, as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and correctional services are both adopting digital records. U.S. jails, prisons and detention facilities at the state and federal levels are in the market for vendor products to manage the health of inmates with high prevalence of mental disorders, substance abuse issues and chronic conditions like diabetes, EHR Intelligence reported.
The adoption of EHRs could improve the health and life quality of the more than 2.2 million individuals currently incarcerated in the nation. Currently, the DHS operates 23 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers that employ roughly 1,000 providers to serve the prison population.
"ICE has a frequent need to send medical information across different locations, which is cumbersome when each site has its own system," said Deanna Gephart, deputy assistant director of operations for ICE Health Service Corps, quoted by EHR Intelligence.
Without interoperable EHRs, it is difficult for physicians to compile significant details to detect the vulnerability of patients who are subject to abuse, or to identify those with special needs. Implementing new systems can also help protect inmates from injuries like hand and jaw fractures, common occurrences in maximum security prisons.
In addition, EHRs from correctional centers can be linked to outside providers through health information exchange so that various conditions and other concerns unique to jails and prisons can be followed into the community upon an inmate's release.
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Ronny Bachrach
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