MARINE CORPS LEAGUE
DEPARTMENT OF CONNECTICUT
Aaron Cheerman and Peter
Galgano
Public Relations Officers
From:
Aaron Cheerman, Public Relations Officer
Subject:
Military Health System Enters New Era
NEWS RELEASE from the United States Department of Defense
No. 1207-05
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov 21, 2005
Media Contact: (703) 697-5131
Public/Industry Contact: (703 )428-0711
Military Health System Enters New Era
The Department of Defense achieved a
major milestone with the launch of AHLTA, its global electronic health record
system, at a ceremony hosted by Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary
of defense for health affairs, and attended by Michael O. Leavitt, secretary of
health and human services, at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda
today.
AHLTA is the largest, most
significant electronic health record system of its kind with the potential to
serve more than nine million service members, retirees and their families
worldwide. When fully implemented, about 60,000 military healthcare
professionals at DoD medical facilities in the United States, and 11 other
countries will use this electronic health record system.
"Beneficiaries' health records
will be available around the clock and around the world, available to
healthcare providers, yet protected from loss and unauthorized access,"
said Winkenwerder. "Our electronic health record has matured to a point
that its size and complexity are unrivaled. Most importantly, this
new system was built in partnership with America's leading information
technology companies."
Today, many thousands of military
medical providers are using the system, and nearly 300,000 outpatient visits
are captured digitally every week. Full deployment of the system in DoD's 800
clinics and 70 hospitals will be complete by December 2006.
"With the roll-out of AHLTA, the
Department of Defense has made a great step toward achieving President Bush's
goal of making electronic health records available to a majority of Americans
within 10 years," said Leavitt. "The lessons we learn from an
initiative of this geographic scope and patient base will prove invaluable for
future private and government health systems."
The longer term vision, expected to
be achieved in the next two to three years, is a continuously updated digital
medical record from the point of injury or care on the battlefield to military
clinics and hospitals in the United States, all completely transferable
electronically to the Veterans Health Administration.
A massive training program for AHLTA
is currently underway in DoD's medical community to ensure all who have access
to the system are properly trained in usage and health record security.
More information on AHLTA can be
found on their Web site at
http://www.ha.osd.mil/AHLTA .