VA putting medical records online

Since 12-20-05

From: Waspscpo@aol.com [mailto:Waspscpo@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2005 12:27 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: VA putting medical records online

By Rick Rogers
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 18, 2005

By the end of next year, 5.3 million patients in the Veterans Affairs health care system, including nearly 54,000 from San Diego County, will likely be able to read their medical records online. The unprecedented access to such information reflects how computer technology can help create a "compassionate health care system," said Jonathan Perlin, the VA's undersecretary for health.

Other high-tech upgrades are planned, Perlin said of the VA record-keeping system, which is being touted as a standard that civilian health providers should emulate. Dave Autry, a spokesman for the Disabled American Veterans in Washington, D.C., praised the VA's use of tele-medicine.

"The VA is to be applauded for its leadership in medical technology. . . . We have not heard of any complaints," Autry said. "It can certainly improve the quality of care the vet gets, but it is still vital that the veteran gets direct human contact."

The VA health care system did away with paper records in 1998. During a visit to the VA Medical Center in La Jolla recently, Perlin demonstrated some advantages of electronic medical records. With a few clicks on a laptop, Perlin brought up the medical history of a 77-year-old man suffering from cancer and bouts of internal bleeding.

The patient's file included copies of X-rays and a flow chart of his red-blood-cell count. One click produced an image of his beating heart. Perlin said such information not only helps doctors provide treatment, but also allows the patient to understand his condition and take part in his own recovery like never before.

An additional innovation allows vital indicators, such as weight, to be sent electronically to patients' files from the privacy of their home via a kind of modem. A health coordinator then can track someone's health on a daily basis and schedule medical appointments before a crisis occurs, Perlin said.

"This will allow just-in-time instead of just-in-case appointments," he added. About 350,000 VA patients have the modem-like access. About 180 of them live in San Diego County, which started the program last year, and 200 more are expected to gain the capability next year. Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the superiority of electronic files versus paper records, Perlin said.

When the hurricane ripped into New Orleans, the electronic records of 62,000 local veterans were safe from water that flooded the city. Perlin came to the center in La Jolla shortly after the VA named it a "center of excellence" for the research and treatment of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

The center, one of three nationwide to earn the honor, is conducting three post-traumatic stress disorder studies and an extensive outreach program aimed at veterans dealing with mental health issues dating to World War II. There might be another war-related medical project coming to San Diego County.

The Defense Department is considering the establishment of a West Coast amputee clinic for the VA in partnership with Naval Medical Center San Diego near Balboa Park. About 2.5 percent of combat veterans return home with one or more missing limbs, said Gary Rossio, chief executive officer of the VA San Diego Healthcare System.

Through a West Coast amputee clinic, the military aims to return amputees to active duty and to rehabilitate service members regardless of whether they decide to stay in the armed forces, he said.

"This is not a done deal. . . . The expertise exists; the question is, do we have the funds?" Rossio said. "I would think that (a San Diego amputee clinic) would be aimed at Camp Pendleton and other West Coast-based Marines."
Rick Rogers: (760) 476-8212; rick.rogers@uniontrib.com
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Contributed,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)

 

Any man or woman who may be asked in this century what they did to make life worthwhile in their lifetime....can respond with a great deal of pride and satisfaction, "I served a career in the United States Navy."