The Defense Department has finished implementing the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application, says William Winkenwerder Jr., the top Pentagon health official. The AHLTA is the DOD’s electronic health records system, providing a repository with information on all beneficiaries that will be accessible worldwide for military health care providers. The Pentagon plans to share AHLTA with the VA, replacing its Vista system, which Winkenwerder says “doesn’t have the capability to move the information around the world like AHLTA.” When both departments are using the same system, he said that “medical information can move seamlessly from the battlefield to any medical facility in the world.” After DOD and VA announced Jan. 24 a record sharing agreement, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, promptly fired off a letter asking for particulars. He is not impressed with the speed of this conversion, among other things.
Congress is making moves to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, but lawmakers have only a few days left to clear the procedural hurdles necessary to ensure troops get paid Nov. 14. The issue is particularly pressing for tens of thousands of uniformed personnel in the Air National…
