Ensuring the Department of Veterans Affairs’ new EHR is interoperable with other health systems is critical for the agency's Cerner rollout, former VA secretary Jim Peake, MD, said in an interview on Cerner's April 16 podcast episode.
In May 2018, The VA partnered with Cerner to develop and deploy an EHR across its care network. The contract covers a 10-year rollout with a $16 billion price tag.
Dr. Peake, senior vice president at information technology businesses services provider CGI Federal, is a member of Cerner's VA Advisory Group, which provides knowledge and advice on the project's development.
There are many veterans and servicemembers who receive medical care outside of the VA, which makes it "very important that Cerner's system can support that interoperability," Dr. Peake said.
Additional factors Dr. Peake stressed regarding development of the new EHR are training clinicians to ensure they can use the new system effectively as well as incorporating information and insights relative to veteran healthcare that VA clinicians have gathered from the agency's previous record system.
To access the full podcast, click here.