James Mattis, secretary of the Department of Defense, and Robert Wilkie, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, signed a joint statement Sept. 26 pledging to align their EHR strategies.
The joint statement, released Oct. 10, comes after the DOD and VA separately signed contracts to replace their legacy EHRs with a Cerner system. The VA finalized its contract with Cerner in May, and said it planned to work with the DOD on the rollout. The DOD had begun its transition to Cerner in February 2017.
By working together, the DOD and the VA hope to create an EHR system that allows the two departments to seamlessly share patient data with one another. The VA also said, through the collaboration, it would be able to apply "lessons learned" from challenges in the DOD's EHR rollout to adapt its approach.
"The joint statement between DOD and VA represents tangible evidence of our commitment to change how we deliver veteran-focused, provider-friendly care," Mr. Wilkie said in a news release. "This will ease the burden on service members as they transition from military careers and will be supported by multiple medical providers throughout their lives."
To read Mr. Mattis and Mr. Wilkie's joint statement, click here.