Shinseki: VA to move forward with electronic records

Veterans Administration Secretary Eric Shinseki told members of Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs that iEHR will have "full operational capability in 2017."

Veterans Administration Secretary Eric Shinseki insisted at an April 15 congressional hearing that the VA will move forward on a joint electronic health records system with the Defense Department, even as Pentagon officials are pausing to review their approach. Shinseki testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs on the VA's $153 billion budget request for fiscal 2014, which he said includes $3.7 billion for IT systems aimed to increase healthcare quality and benefits...

..."As far as the VA is concerned, we are committed to it," Shinseki said. "We are waiting on DOD signaling to us...we have an agreement here. I believe we are on track. [Defense Secretary Chuck] Hagel asked for the opportunity to review his structure and process, and that's what he's doing right now." At question is what platform DOD will use as its core system for sharing information. It is unclear how the two agencies would effectively share data between two different platforms -- the goal has been for a single platform for both agencies – but Shinseki was firm in the VA's decision to continue with its VISTA core. He also seemed to hint that any uncertainties rest in DOD's indecision regarding its core...