VA is Transitioning to A New Electronic Health Record

In May 2018, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began a multi-year effort to implement the new Federal electronic health record (EHR) across the nation. The Federal EHR will ultimately simplify the experience for Veterans and their health care teams, enhance standardization across VA and improve interoperability between VA, federal partners and the rest of the U.S. health care system. A common system across VA, Department of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) will facilitate the secure transfer of active-duty service members’ health data as they transition to Veteran status, benefiting 9 million Veterans, their families, caregivers and VA providers.

The Federal EHR equips VA staff with new and innovative data analytics and Veteran care management tools that will provide them deeper insights into Veteran health issues—improving clinical decisions and health care outcomes for Veterans as individuals and as a patient population overall.

  • A common system to bring together health records from the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), community care providers and VA.

  • Faster, smarter care decisions powered by data analytics that take a broad view of a Veteran’s medical history and service record.

  • An improved and consistent scheduling experience at VA medical facilities and community care partners nationwide.

  • Advanced cybersecurity measures to ensure data privacy.

  • The ability to leverage industry-leading technology and add new functionality so providers can best serve the unique needs of Veterans.

Patient talking to a clinician wile looking at a mobile device

Bringing Your Complete Health Record Together

Patient information from different doctors, pharmacies and labs will be stored in a common EHR and in a format that is quickly and easily accessible. Coordination between DOD, USCG, NOAA, community care providers and VA allows a Veteran’s complete health record to follow them anywhere, regardless of where they served or where they seek VA care

A Connected Future

  • A consolidated health record will provide a unified, integrated view of Veteran care among Federal partners and with participating community care providers.
  • Modern data analytics tools in the EHR will improve preventive care by identifying health trends affecting Veterans who served in a particular time and place

When Will My Provider Switch To The New System?

VA began deploying its Federal EHR in October 2020 at select VA medical facilities and will install the system nationwide over the next several years. Most Veterans will not see immediate changes to how they view their medical records or receive health care. VA will continue to maintain and support its current EHR systems throughout the transition period to ensure there is no interruption in the accessibility and delivery of care. Veterans can expect to learn more as their local facilities prepare to migrate to the Federal EHR.

VA Is Committed To Your Health

VA’s efforts to modernize its EHR systems are essential to its mission of providing the highest level of care to Veterans today and into the future.