Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Launching New Patient Data Sharing Pilot in Richmond

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has been moving closer toward launching and implementing a full-fledged patient record-sharing program under the virtual lifetime electronic record (VLER) program. A new pilot program will be tested in Richmond, Virginia. This program will allow healthcare providers to access veterans' health records at the Richmond VA Medical Center and MedVirginia, which is a centralized health information exchange.

The VLER was designed to allow military personnel to track their medical and administrative records from their first day in service through their status as a veteran. By choosing to be involved in the pilot program, veterans must authorize the electronic sharing of certain health information between private and public healthcare providers.

The Richmond, Virginia area was chosen for the site of the pilot program because of the amount of veterans, National Guard, and Reservists located in the area. The program will likely be very helpful as 7/10 veterans use civilian hospitals and doctors for at least part of their continued healthcare, according to the VA.

Partnering with MedVirginia allows the Richmond VA medical center to see what kind of care their patients are receiving at other providers within the MedVirginia network. Generally, the more information had, the better healthcare that can be provided.