SSA tests electronic records network

The Social Security Administration will take a giant step toward retrieving electronic health records when it begins testing how they can be used for SSA claims on Feb. 28. The agency will retrieve the electronic medical records of disability benefit applicants through MedVirginia, a regional health information organization in Richmond, Va, according to NextGov.com.

The trial run will reduce the processing time for disability claims dramatically, according to Debbie Somers, a senior adviser in the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Systems at SSA. Right now, the typical disability claim takes 80 to 90 days to process, according to Somers. But in another trial run in Boston, it took less than a minute to retrieve records with no human interaction involved, she said.

The economic stimulus law signed by President Obama on Tuesday includes $20 billion for health information technology. The funds are expected to move the paper-based medical record system to an electronic one nationwide in several years.

For more on electronic medical records:
- check out this NextGov.com article

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