During “The Power of One” session yesterday at the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) in San Diego, the Department of Defense (DoD) shared the rational, scope and results of its AHLTA EHR project. The project supports the national agenda and could serve as the model for the digital health record, said Carl Hendricks, Military Health System (MHS) CIO.
    Currently, MHS has implemented electronic records, including CPOE (computerized physician order entry), real-time medication screening and appointment coding and administrative functions, at more than 500 facilities worldwide. Benefits include a reduced incidence of complications from prescription errors, lower costs and greater efficiency, summed Hendricks.
The next generation of the project, the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application (AHLTA), supports a virtual, longitudinal electronic record that extends the concept of portability. AHLTA facilitates continuity of care for military forces from battlefield to their home base and provides a single, complete, legible, life-long, portable health record for beneficiaries. The single data repository incorporates structured documentation and is in use at 86 facilities worldwide
    Hendricks concluded with a blueprint for transformation focused on enterprise architecture, research and development and federal and public-private collaboration.