Veterans Benefit from eHealth Exchange as More Seek Care in Private Sector

VIENNA, VA--(Marketwired - Nov 9, 2017) - Over 1.3 million veterans have opted-in to permit the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to securely share their health information for better care coordination with private sector healthcare providers. Having their health information more readily accessible enables these veterans to receive more effective and efficient care when they visit participating Community Care Sites, which include nearly 1,000 hospitals, 19,000 clinics, 8,500 pharmacies, 600 labs, and 250 nursing homes.

"The eHealth Exchange has been working with the Veterans Health Administration since 2009 to steadily increase health data sharing connectivity to ensure veterans and their families receive the most effective care no matter where they seek it," said Jennifer Rosas, director of the eHealth Exchange. "And once a veteran receives treatment at a Community Care Site, we make it easier for VA-providers to receive care notes and follow-up."

Being able to share health records with private sector healthcare providers is critical to effectively care for veterans and their families. This will remain crucial as veterans increase the care they receive in the private sector -- an estimated 40-60% over the next 10 years.

The eHealth Exchange is the principal way that private sector healthcare providers are able to share health information with federal agencies to support patient care, quality assurance and disability programs. The public-private is also used to exchange data, between and among federal agencies. The network supports sharing health data such as medical history, allergies, medications, procedures, family history, and other vital data points for more informed care decisions.

In addition to sharing medical records for treatment in the private sector, the Department of Veteran Affairs also uses the eHealth Exchange to connect to the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Defense (DoD). Since the SSA and VA health IT initiative launched in November 2016 to speed disability determinations, one million veteran records have been shared, enabling all Social Security disability case processing sites to receive medical records electronically from all VA facilities.

"Veterans often have complex care needs, due to the nature of their injuries and stress from their military service," said Mariann Yeager, CEO of The Sequoia Project. "Having access to veteran health data is essential for providing the highest quality care, no matter where a veteran seeks treatment. The eHealth Exchange is honored to support the men and women in and out of uniform who have so bravely served our country." 

About eHealth Exchange

The eHealth Exchange is a rapidly growing health data sharing network for securely sharing clinical information over the Internet nationwide. The eHealth Exchange spans all 50 states and is the largest clinical health data sharing network of its kind in the United States. Current eHealth Exchange participants include large provider networks, hospitals, pharmacies, regional health information exchanges and many federal agencies, representing more than 65% of all U.S. hospitals, 50,000 medical groups, more than 8,300 pharmacies and 109 million patients. For more information about the eHealth Exchange, visit www.ehealthexchange.com. Follow the eHealth Exchange on Twitter: @eHealthExchange.

About The Sequoia Project

The Sequoia Project is a non-profit, 501c3, public-private collaborative chartered to advance implementation of secure, interoperable nationwide health information exchange. The Sequoia Project supports multiple, independent health IT interoperability initiatives, most notably: the eHealth Exchange, a rapidly growing health data sharing community of exchange partners sharing under a common trust framework and a common set of rules; and Carequality, which is a national-level, consensus-built, common interoperability framework to interconnect and enable exchange between and among existing data sharing networks, much like the telecommunications industry did for linking cell phone networks. For more information about The Sequoia Project and its initiatives, visit www.sequoiaproject.org. Follow The Sequoia Project on Twitter: @SequoiaProject.