Question: Do the Department of Defense and the VA share medical records of severely wounded troops to help ensure continuity of care?

Answer: The Defense Department and VA recently completed a pilot program in which patient information between Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the polytrauma unit at the Tampa VA Medical Center in Florida is shared. Electronic medical information about severely wounded troops soon will be transferred to four VA special treatment centers. The expansion of the pilot program will share data between VA polytrauma centers in Tampa: Richmond, Va.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Palo Alto, Calf.; and all Army medical treatment facilities. The Palo Alto polytrauma center falls under Veterans Integrated Service Network 21, of which the VA Pacific Islands Health Care System at Tripler is also a part.