The Veterans Administration (VA) has completed transferring patient data into their new EHR solution in preparation for the system’s launch in the Pacific Northwest. The migration of the information includes clinical and demographic data for approximately 88,000 veterans.
The system will equip VA healthcare providers with a longitudinal view of patient information when using the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) https://www.ehrm.va.gov solution at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center (VAMC) https://www.spokane.va.gov, located in Spokane Washington (https://www.spokane.va.gov).
With the new EHR launch, VA clinicians and administrative staff will be able to easily access, verify, and update patient information directly within the EHR itself, rather than the need to use multiple systems.
The EHR includes information on patient medications, allergies, immunizations, past medical procedures, and ongoing health concerns, as well as demographic details, such as addresses, phone numbers, and emails.
This transfer of active patient data into the new EHR is the latest of several EHRM milestones. In August, the VA launched their new patient appointment system called the Centralized Scheduling Solution (CSS) https://www.ehrm.va.gov/about/css, at sites in the VA’s Central Ohio Healthcare System, https://www.columbus.va.gov/index.asp.
In April, the VA and DOD launched a joint HIE that allows providers in both departments to access data quickly and securely for patients seen by a participating community partner or health system. Following the implementation at Mann-Grandstaff, the EHRM program over the next several years will roll out new software until it is in place nationwide at all VA facilities by 2028.