Interoperability Deadline Looms

The Defense and the Veterans Affairs departments are supposed to achieve full interoperability of their electronic health record systems come Wednesday. The meshing of the systems was mandated by the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. I hear the joint Defense/VA interagency program office is working right up to the deadline.

I also hear that Rear Adm. Gregory Timberlake, who heads the program office, will not deliver his interoperability report to the Defense and VA senior leadership until early next week, at which point I hope he will talk with me.

This will mark the end of Timberlake's tour and he plans to return to civilian life, but the program office will live on, charged with developing the unified lifetime health record endorsed by President Obama in April.

I hear that the program office is still looking for a new director, a challenging but exciting job for a general or SESer who relishes working long days.