The Department of Veterans Affairs has partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to establish a knowledge-sharing website using VA electronic health records to accelerate research that can support improved clinical care.
The platform, called Centralized Interactive Phenomics Resource, or CIPHER, can open a broader sharing of research findings within the scientific community, the VA said.
The public-facing online resource, open to VA and non-VA researchers, provides data culled from the department’s integrated health care system—the United States’ largest.
Researchers can tap the CIPHER library for computable inputs derived from complex health data, such as phenotypes for diseases and clinical conditions. The library generates the data through the ORNL’s compute facilities and expertise.
According to Sumitra Muralidhar, director of the VA Million Veteran Program (CIPHER’s lead sponsor), the platform “has revolutionized” researchers’ use of EHR data with its standardized and streamlined approach that allows a head start in health research.
The VA has previously undertaken EHR modernization efforts, which engaged private industry, to improve clinical outcomes for members of military service branches.
Attend the Potomac Officers Club’s 2024 Healthcare Summit in December for all of the latest updates on U.S. healthcare technology.
