Integrated Health Record Effort Adds To VA's Troubles

The Integrated Electronic Health Record (iEHR) program is not the Department of Veterans Affairs' only lightning rod, but it is a major one. Officially in the works since 2011, the records-sharing program took root after 15 years of discussion and cooperation between the two agencies to share military members' health data.

In 2012, however, cracks in the effort began to show. In September, the Government Accountability Office outlined hindrances to collaboration, cost documentation and performance measurement. GAO also highlighted fragmented processes across medical facilities -- a breakdown between regional offices and headquarters illustrative of VA problems writ large.

In February, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced a shift in strategy that signaled a rift in the joint effort. The announcement was swiftly spurned by GAO and Capitol Hill. On Feb. 27, GAO issued another critical report stating that the change of course raised "concerns about the departments’ ability to successfully collaborate to share electronic health information."