Sen. Schumer Stumps For Two Military Health IT Bills

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is pushing for the passage of two bills (S 1296; S 928) that would require the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to develop an interoperable electronic health record system for military service members and hold VA accountable for reducing its backlog of outstanding disability claims, Healthcare Informatics reports (Perna, Healthcare Informatics, 11/11).

Schumer is co-sponsoring both bills (Dunkirk Observer, 11/11). He wants to include the bills in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (HR 1960), which is set for discussion on the Senate floor in the coming weeks (Healthcare Informatics, 11/11).

Background on DOD, VA EHR Efforts

DOD and VA first launched an effort to create a joint integrated EHR, or iEHR system, in 2009. The iEHR project aimed to allow every service member to maintain a single EHR throughout his or her career and lifetime.