The Department of Defense (DoD), Department Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) have added the CommonWell Health Alliance to the joint health information exchange network, a platform that facilitates wider health data sharing.
The engagement with CommonWell adds over 15 thousand medical facilities to the HIE network that supports the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization, an effort to unify DoD, VA and other federal health records, DoD said Tuesday.
“The CommonWell connection means DOD, VA and USCG (U.S. Coast Guard) providers can access more information about their patients to make the best care decisions,” said William Tinston, FEHRM director.
Patients moving between different care providers benefit from data sharing done through HIE. The network's offered information includes those about a patient's allergies, laboratory results, medical history and past prescriptions.
"As a clinician who is using the joint HIE, the more patient information I have access to, the more I can understand the full picture of my patient's care and better meet their needs," said Dr. Neil Evans, a VA primary care physician and clinical leader with the FEHRM.
