Lessons of the military's global EHR

[Commentary] As the nation moves toward standards for electronic health records (EHR) and the Nationwide Health Information Network, the future of electronic health records has arrived. Sometimes people ask why all of this is important, but there is really a simple answer. EHRs share healthcare data throughout the nation, and this data exchange can make a difference in saving lives, energy and pain. The Military Health System proves that concept every day by making faster and more comprehensive treatment decisions to its more than 9.6 million beneficiaries. The bottom line is that an EHR should be simple to use, so acquiring an intuitive system will promote quick adoption and deliver immediate benefits. The goal of any EHR adoption is to leverage modern technologies for greater clinical efficiency, higher quality and safer delivery of care.

[Navy Capt. Michael Weiner is deputy program manager and chief medical officer of the Defense Health Information Management System (DHIMS).]