The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments’ health records system will be implemented at two joint facilities by 2014 but exclude certain applications, Molly Bernhart Walker of Fierce Government IT reports.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced earlier this week that the entire iEHR system would be rolled out by 2017.
VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker said during a press call on Wednesday that the early rollout in Norfolk, Va. and Houston centers would not include the entire functionality of the 2017 version, Walker reports.
Baker said the VA and Pentagon identified 127 medical applications they need to include in the iEHR system, but many of those will be absent in the initial version and will be covered by legacy VistA and AHLTA systems until the full rollout.
According to the report, a House committee recently voted to not fully fund the program in fiscal 2013 until the VA and Pentagon submit an execution and spending plan as well as a long-term roadmap for the iEHR program.
