Enhancing Your Care

“Continuity of care helps us better know our patients right away. The faces may change for our patients every summer as they move to a new base or our doctors move to a new base, but the record system is continuous. – Pediatrician

An electronic health record (EHR) is software that's used to securely document, store, retrieve, share and analyze information about individual patient care. It enables a digital version of your health record. The Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) office, along with other federal agencies, is implementing a single, common federal EHR to enhance patient care and provider effectiveness.

The single, common federal EHR puts you at the center. A federal EHR means from the time you join the military through your care as a Veteran, your care will be documented in one, complete patient health record that your providers and you can access. This means you benefit:

• You spend less time repeating your health history to your providers, undergoing duplicative tests and managing printed health records.
• Your providers have access to your data such as service treatment records, Service medals and honors, housing status and other information to ensure you receive all the benefits you earned when you transition to civilian life in a seamless, timely fashion.
• Conversations with your providers start more productively since they already have a more comprehensive picture of your health before your appointment.
• Your providers are able to make more informed decisions about your care as they have access to more relevant data.
• You will have a seamless care experience. Regardless of whether you get care from the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security's U.S. Coast Guard or another health care system participating in the joint health information exchange, your providers will be able to easily exchange and access your health information to enhance your quality of care and satisfaction. 

Learn more about how the federal EHR is enhancing care for patients like you. Remember, your electronic health information is owned by you. You have the right to access their personal health record. You retain control over their own health data.