Leadership Message
Dear colleagues,
The big news coming out of the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) office this quarter is the successful synchronous deployment of the federal electronic health record (EHR) at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (Lovell FHCC) joint sharing site in March. This is the first time the FEHRM, Department of Defense (DOD), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) deployed the federal EHR together at the same site. Lovell FHCC creates a foundation for joint operations at other sites and illustrates how large health care systems can work together without technology being a barrier. Learn more about this historic deployment and the benefits of the federal EHR in this issue. Additionally, the Lovell FHCC deployment marked DOD’s completion of federal EHR implementation—a big congratulations to DOD!
Although we celebrate this tremendous achievement, deployment marks just the beginning. The FEHRM, along with DOD and VA, continue to enhance and evolve the federal EHR to meet the needs of patients and providers. In this issue, other efforts highlighted include enhancing information sharing during crises and boosting clinician efficiencies. Also, our Federal EHR Annual Summit welcomed more than 1,000 stakeholders who provided valuable feedback to inform enhancements to the federal EHR.
The FEHRM continues to grow, as evidenced by the ever-increasing numbers below. I’m eager to continue our journey together as we welcome additional federal partners and implement the federal EHR to transform the health care experience for all.
FEHRM Insight
Addressing Public Health Emergencies and Responses
Mr. Charles Gabrial, FEHRM Digital Health Standards Lead, Interoperability Workstream
Because of the COVID-19 global crisis, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) responded to the urgent global demand to develop standards for interoperable public health emergency preparedness and response information systems. Through this endeavor, ISO aimed to improve preparedness for national and international Public Health Emergencies and Responses (PH ERP). The PH ERP standard provides best practices and cutting-edge strategies for collecting business requirements and a mapping framework for semantic interoperability.
On December 12, 2023, ISO released the ISO 5477, Health Informatics—Interoperability of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Information Systems. This successful state-of-the-art standard resulted from a fruitful three-year collaboration between the FEHRM and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Preparedness and Response. Sixteen countries from around the world participated in its review. This unique, novel standard outlines the interoperability and data exchange requirements for electronic systems collecting critical information for international and national multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral emergency response. It empowers countries and communities to adopt best practices and a universally accepted public health emergency preparedness and response system.
Participating countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, agreed to adopt this newly released standard. By implementing this standard, countries can establish effective and efficient coordinated strategies and operations for approaches to emergency response, leveraging technology and data to improve situational awareness, resource allocation, and communication among relevant stakeholders. They can also manage a more coordinated, efficient, and timely response to public health emergencies.
ISO 5477 enables better collaboration and information sharing during crises, ultimately contributing to more effective and timely responses to public health emergencies. ISO 5477 aims to enhance preparedness at both national and international levels for various types of emergencies, such as the emergence of new infectious diseases like COVID-19, chemical and nuclear accidents, environmental disasters, and the potential threat of criminal acts and bioterrorism.
This standard enhances the information available to the federal EHR, which is at the heart of the FEHRM’s mission, by enabling providers to make the best clinical decisions based on accurate, up-to-date health data. The collaboration between the FEHRM and CDC signifies a commitment to global health security and the development of robust systems to confront and manage public health emergencies.
International Organization for Standardization
ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization that develops and publishes standards for various industries and sectors worldwide. ISO standards are developed through a consensus-based process that involves experts from industry, government, and other interested parties from around the world, drawn from global technical committees. ISO-developed standards provide state-of-the-art frameworks for organizations to improve their management practices and processes, reduce risk, and achieve operational excellence. These standards cover a wide range of topics, including quality management, environmental management, occupational health and safety, information security, and more. With more than 165 member countries, ISO is one of the largest standards development organizations in the world. As noted on the ISO website, "ISO has put together groups of experts that represent every sector imaginable, from soaps to spacecraft, MP3 to coffee. In fact, there are more than 250 technical committees."
Resources:
JSS-FHCC Focus
FEHRM, DOD, and VA Collaborate on Federal EHR Deployment at Lovell FHCC
The FEHRM, DOD, and VA synchronously deployed the federal EHR at Lovell FHCC in North Chicago in March. “The level of effort, commitment, collaboration, and innovation to achieve what we’ve done at Lovell FHCC is unparalleled,” said Mr. Bill Tinston, FEHRM Director. “It’s been amazing work, it’s been hard work, and—of course—it’s been worth it for our beneficiaries.”
The deployment added nearly 1,200 DOD and 2,000 VA clinicians, providers, and other end users at Lovell FHCC, the most integrated joint sharing site serving both DOD and VA populations. With this latest Lovell FHCC deployment, the federal EHR is now operational at more than 3,890 locations worldwide with more than 197,200 end users serving more than 9.6 million beneficiaries. “This is a historic milestone in health care interoperability, a monumental collaborative effort to achieve the best patient outcomes,” Mr. Tinston said. “With Lovell FHCC showing what we can do together, I am excited about our future deployments. I’m eager for more partners to join the federal EHR and to see what we will accomplish next.”
Read the VA and Leidos Partnership for Defense Health press releases and latest related news articles for more information about this historic event, which was attended by Captain James A. Lovell himself.
Ask the FEHRM
How will patient portals work for dual beneficiaries at Lovell FHCC?
Lovell FHCC uses both DOD and VA patient portals, and some patients are eligible through both DOD and VA. Regardless of where they received care, dual-eligible beneficiaries can access a variety of health information, including procedures, allergies, vaccines, health issues, lab results, clinical notes, and visit summaries. For more information, including the differences in capabilities between DOD and VA patient portals, visit the FEHRM website’s Publications page to review and download the Patient Portals for Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries document.
Getting the Message Out
What are the benefits of the federal EHR?
As the federal EHR is deployed and enhanced, there will be many potential benefits for patients, health care professionals, and the broader federal health care enterprise.
Visit the FEHRM website’s Publications page to review and download this and other federal EHR benefits graphics.
FEHRM Activities
The FEHRM Showcases the Federal EHR's Innovative Capabilities at HIMSS24
The FEHRM Technology Office Team attended the HIMSS24 Global Health Conference, March 11–15, in Orlando, Florida, where renowned experts shared their insights on health care and cutting-edge health technologies.
2023 Federal EHR Annual Summit Executive Summary Available Now
The third Federal EHR Annual Summit—which took place October 24–26, 2023, with the theme EHR Excellence: People, Progress, and Pathways Forward—welcomed more than 1,000 attendees. The 2023 Federal EHR Annual Summit End-User Feedback Executive Summary highlights the top three areas of strength and improvement for the federal EHR, which end users identified during the summit. Visit the Congressional Reports page on the FEHRM website to read the full report.
Recent Go-Lives and Capability Releases
- March 9: The DOD and VA launched the federal EHR at Lovell FHCC, marking the first time the DOD and VA deployed the federal EHR synchronously at a joint DOD/VA facility. This deployment completes federal EHR deployment of all garrison DOD facilities, including 138 Military Treatment Facilities, and 3,890 locations worldwide. See the JSS-FHCC Focus section for more information about this historic deployment.
- February 9: Capability Block 10’s release for the federal EHR brought more than 60 product enhancements.
- January 13: Wave GUAM went live, impacting two medical commands and three National Guard Regulation units, affecting approximately 900 users.
In Case You Missed It
VA: EHR North Chicago Rollout ‘Most Successful Deployment’ Yet
Leidos Partnership Deploys Electronic Health Record System to Joint DOD-VA Federal Health Care Site
VA, DOD, and FEHRM Roll Out Federal Electronic Health Record in North Chicago
DHA Sees Tech Helping Create ‘Person-Centered’ Health Care
A Patient-Centered Approach to Health Care
The FEHRM Funnies
Joke of the Quarter
Why did the laptop catch pneumonia?
Somebody left Windows open.