Page 15 - Desert Lightning News 8-7-15

Desert Lightning News August 7, 2015 15

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DOD awards contract for electronic health records

Jim Garamone lished by the Office of the National vices late next year. Ultimately, the sys- and technical data that will allow fu-
Coordinator for Health IT and the tem will be fielded at more than 1,000 ture contractors access to operate or
DoD News, Defense Media Activity DOD/VA interagency program office. locations worldwide. The cost over sustain the system, Miller said.
18 years was placed at $11 billion, but
WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The The DOD and the VA are interop- new figures suggest the ultimate cost “Today is not just about picking a
award of the new modernization con- erable now, said Undersecretary of will be below $9 billion, Kendall said. software vendor,” Miller said. “Today
tract for electronic health records is Defense for Acquisition, Technology is really about making sure we pro-
a great opportunity to “save money, and Logistics Frank Kendall, but this Dr. Jonathan Woodson, the assistant vide the right team that will provide
save time, and most importantly, save contract ensures it will continue by secretary of defense for health affairs, the services and all those things that
lives,” said Christopher A. Miller, the including future software upgrades. called electronic health records “a critical are necessary to meet our objectives.”
Defense Healthcare Management enabler for supporting and maintaining
Systems program executive officer. Training is also included in the medical readiness” around the world. Building the new system will be
contract, he said. complicated, Woodson noted, add-
In a culmination of a more than two- The new system is global and must op- ing that implementing it does not
year effort, the Defense Department today “The trick … in getting a business erate in remote places like Afghanistan, in simply mean turning off one system
awarded a $4.3 billion contract to Leidos, system fielded isn’t about the product addition to DOD’s 55 hospitals and more and turning on another.
Inc. July 29. Now begins the hard part: put- you’re buying, it’s about the training, than 600 clinics, Woodson said.
ting the contract in place, Miller said. the preparation of your people, it’s The new system will replace up
about minimizing the changes to the “Even apart from the wartime re- to 50 legacy systems and there is a
The new contract will cover more software that you’re buying,” Kendall quirements, the patients we serve are transition plan for each one of those
than 9.5 million Defense Department said. “We’ve done a lot of work to en- frequently on the move, as are our systems, Miller said.
beneficiaries and the more than 205,000 sure that our users … are prepared to caregivers, so it is very important to
care providers that support them. take on this product and use it.” have a highly integrated system that is “You can’t just take away the old
portable to serve the needs wherever (system) and drive in the new one,”
The contract will improve current The next step in fielding the sys- they may be required,” Woodson said. Kendall said. “You have to provide
interoperability among the DOD, Vet- tem is to test the software to ensure health care continuously -- you cannot
erans Affairs and private sector health it is secure and does what is needed. The department is sensitive to stop. You have to keep the old system
care providers, and enable each to ac- The contractor will begin fielding the potential vendor lock situations. To running until the new system is ready
cess and update health records. The system at eight locations in the Pacific mitigate this risk, the government ne- to step in and take over. It requires us
contract is based on protocols estab- Northwest, covering each of the ser- gotiated specific rights to the software to keep the old systems running.”

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