A new partnership between St. Louis-based SSM Health and the Department of Defense seeks to enhance care delivery for active duty and retired military personnel and their families by enabling patient data exchange between the organizations.
SSM Health providers will be able to securely access patient records of DOD military and civilian employees, retirees and dependents who receive care at DOD healthcare facilities nationwide. Additionally, the DOD will be able to access SSM Health patient records.
"Access to these DOD patient records, through our Epic electronic health record platform, enables our physicians and other caregivers to obtain a more complete view of the health history of a patient," said Richard Vaughn, MD, CMIO of SSM Health. "As a result, we can make faster and better care decisions, avoid duplicating expensive tests, and ensure that our DOD patients receive the safest and best care possible."
SSM Health has an established history of partnering with government agencies to exchange data. The health system shares records with the Department of Veterans Affairs using the Veterans Health Information Exchange. Additionally, SSM Health, the DOD and VHIE are part of eHealth Exchange, a group of federal and nonfederal agencies committed to exchanging health information to improve public health reporting.
The health system also electronically shares patient health records with the Social Security Administration to assist the agency with processing disability claims.
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