Electronic Health Records: DOD and VA Should Remove Barriers and Improve Efforts to Meet Their Common System Needs

Abstract : The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operate two of the nation's largest health care systems. To do so, both departments rely on electronic health record systems to create, maintain, and manage patient health information. DOD and VA are currently undertaking initiatives to modernize their respective systems, jointly establish the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER), and develop joint information technology (IT) capabilities for the James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC). In light of these efforts, GAO was asked to (1) identify any barriers that DOD and VA face in modernizing their electronic health record systems to jointly address their common health care business needs, and (2) identify lessons learned from DOD's and VA's efforts to jointly develop VLER and to meet the health care information needs for the FHCC. To do this, GAO analyzed departmental reviews and other documentation and interviewed DOD and VA officials. What GAO Recommends GAO is recommending that DOD and VA take steps to improve their joint strategic planning, enterprise architecture, and IT investment management to address their common health care business needs. GAO is also recommending that the departments strengthen their joint IT system planning efforts for VLER and the FHCC. Commenting on a draft of this report, DOD, VA, and the DOD/VA Interagency Program Office concurred with GAO's recommendations.