The Pentagon ceremoniously heralded the arrival of its new global electronic health record system, known as AHLTA. It doesn’t stand for anything, officials said; that’s just what they call it. AHLTA operates 24/7 in a secure, authorized-personnel only environment, said the Pentagon’s top health official, William Winkenwerder. Not all 800 clinics and 70 hospitals are on board yet, but they will be by December 2006, claimed Winkenwerder. Thousands of military medical providers are currently using the system, with nearly 300,000 outpatient visits captured digitally every week. The system, ultimately, he said, will provide military medics with the ability to capture health data on the battlefield that nearly instantly becomes part of the individual’s medical record stateside.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
