NHIN:Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente Share Electronic Health Information to Improve Care for Veterans

At this year's HIMSS 2010, we had the opportunity to see NHIN demonstrations. Many used the open source CONNECT NHIN gateway.
The VA/Kaiser Permanente project will serve as guide for others attempting to do the same. SV

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Kaiser Permanente recently launched a pilot medical data exchange program in San Diego using the Nationwide Health Information Network. This innovative pilot enables clinicians from VA and Kaiser Permanente to obtain a more comprehensive view of a patient’s health using electronic health record information, including information about health issues, medications, and allergies.

“The Department of Veterans Affairs and the entire administration are encouraged by the opportunities that electronic health record interoperability provides for veterans, service members and their dependents,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We are proud to join in this effort with Kaiser Permanente and to achieve the benefits of health data exchange, including improved quality, patient safety, and efficiency.”

The new pilot program connects VA’s VistA (Veterans Affairs Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) and Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®. VA beneficiaries and Kaiser Permanente members in the San Diego area were the first to be offered the opportunity to sign up for the pilot, with the understanding that their information would not be shared without their consent. The program’s next phase will add authorized data from the U.S. Department of Defense’s health care system to this exchange in early 2010. Ultimately, this program is planned to be made available to all veterans and service members.

Kaiser Permanente