The Department of Veterans Affairs may be way ahead of the private sector in the world of electronic health records, but it is still wrestling with many problems.

One major issue on the agenda is how to coordinate the VA and Defense Department computer health records systems. Right now, there is no seamless flow of information allowing computer records to be shared between the military and the VA health system. In other words, even in this high-tech world, and even with all the money being spent on IT by the government, paper records are frequently the order of the day for those who have served our country and need medical care.

President Obama acknowledged this problem last week, and pledged to do something about it. He said the two departments will develop one unified, computerized system to hold every veteran's administrative and medical record "from the first day of enlistment to death."

Obama said his budget includes billions of dollars to accomplish this goal. "It's time to give our veterans a 21st-century VA," Obama said. Such systems are already being tested. Last week, the Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, WA, completed a successful test allowing patients to access information contained in the DoD electronic health record system.

But for the most part, there are obstacles to getting a veteran's medical records. For example, a veteran who needs emergency care at a VA hospital in Philadelphia would not have an easy time obtaining his records located at his home health care facility--the VA hospital in San Diego.

Obama is hoping to change this, but it is an issue many IT executives in government have been struggling with for a decade.

For more on VA electronic health records:
- see this U.S. News and World Report article