New legislation would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide evidence of its EHR's interoperability with the Department of Defense EHR before healthcare funds are released to the agency, according to an ExecutiveGov report.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2017 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies Appropriations Act also requires the VA to formalize its EHR modernization plan before receiving the $260 million in appropriations for the EHR initiative, according to the report.
Language in the bill requires the VA achieve the interoperability certification and milestones on functionality and management. The House Appropriations Committee said the goal is the delivery of healthcare through an “accurate exchange of medical data between the VA, DOD and the private sector.”
The VA would receive $52.5 billion for medical services and $176.1 billion in total FY 2017 funds under the legislation.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.