Health Records

The Evolution of Public Health

Driven by a global pandemic, federal agencies stepped up with new strategies and embraced new technical capabilities to combat the coronavirus and meet their missions. 

  • By Nextgov Staff

Military Health Officials: Electronic Health Records Rollout On Schedule and Ready for COVID Vaccine

After a pause this spring, the MHS Genesis rollout is back on track, with two deployment waves scheduled for early 2021.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA Launches New Electronic Health Record Platform Amid a Pandemic, Wildfires and Citywide Power Outages

Nature seemed to be against the Veterans Affairs Department’s new EHR system. But officials are reporting a “flawless” cutover for the first deployment.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA-DOD Health Exchange Adds 15,000-Member Hospital Network

The CommonWell Health Alliance officially joined the joint health information exchange, broadening the government’s ability to digitally share patient data with private health care providers.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA Takes Important Step in Prep for New Health Records Launch

The Veterans Affairs Department successfully transferred data of thousands of patients to its new electronic health records system.

  • By Frank Konkel

VA Officials Hope to Wrap Training, Testing Before October Go-Live of EHR Program

Despite numerous obstacles, the Veterans Affairs Department expects to be ready for the October 24 deployment date its new electronic health records system.

  • By Aaron Boyd

GAO Issues Definitive List of Most Important Federal IT Acquisitions

The Government Accountability Office scored more than 100 federal IT projects and offered detailed breakdowns of the most “essential mission-critical IT acquisitions.”

  • By Aaron Boyd

Coast Guard Begins Deploying Pentagon’s New Electronic Health Records System

The service kicked off a deployment schedule that aims to have all land-based clinics using DOD’s MHS GENESIS by 2024.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA Launches New Patient Scheduling Tool as Part of Records Modernization Project

The resource will be unleashed enterprisewide down the line.

  • By Brandi Vincent

VA Restarts Electronic Health Record Rollout

The initial deployment at a Spokane, Washington, medical center is now scheduled for October, while the new scheduling system will begin rolling out in August.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Trump Executive Order Aims to Make Some Pandemic-Induced Telehealth Expansions Permanent

The president's directive also targets improvements to rural health care.

  • By Brandi Vincent

VA Wants a Veteran-Owned Business to Upgrade Wichita Facility’s IT Ahead of Health Records Rollout

The deployment of Veterans Affairs’ new electronic health record program has been on hold while the agency deals with COVID-19 but the agency wants to get Wichita’s infrastructure ready to roll.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA Wants to Automate Digitization of its 5-Mile-High Electronic Health Record Backlog

Veterans Affairs is looking to robotic process automation to help digitize its backlog and integrate with the new electronic health record platform.

  • By Aaron Boyd

NIH Unveils Centralized Resource for COVID-19 Patient Data

Insiders hope it will “serve as the foundation for addressing future public health emergencies.”

  • By Brandi Vincent

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Watchdog: VA Needs To Include More Specialists in Electronic Health Record Decisions

A new audit found Veterans Affairs’ EHR Councils were set up well and are doing good work, but need better outreach and communication to reach key stakeholders.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Protect Patient Data During COVID-19 Outbreak, Federal Agencies Warn

The Defense Department, FBI and other agencies offer steps on how care facilities can secure personal health information.

  • By Mariam Baksh

IG: VA Knew Infrastructure Upgrades Wouldn’t Meet Timeline For March Health Records Rollout

Severe staffing shortages, infighting and lack of comprehensive planning for infrastructure improvements would have handicapped the multibillion-dollar project, the inspector general said.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA and DOD Now Default to Sharing Patient Data with Private-Sector Providers

The joint electronic health records management office launched an information exchange program to make it easier to share patient data with thousands of “community partners.”

  • By Aaron Boyd

Lawmakers Push CDC for New Demographic Data on Coronavirus Patients

A group of 17 lawmakers asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect sex, race, ethnicity and other information to spot potential inequities in health care. 

  • By Brandi Vincent

VA Delays Major IT Programs to Focus on COVID-19

The initial rollout of the new electronic health records system will be pushed out—again—as well as pilots for the new scheduling system. A third, integral effort remains on track.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Defense Department Halts Health Records Rollout During COVID-19

The pause is in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

  • By Frank Konkel