The Veterans Health Administration was at the avant-garde of electronic medical records in the 1980s, and more recently, it's blazed the trail for exchanging health information between providers, the Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World reports in the third of a 3-part series on EMRs.

"The VA and the Department of Defense are setting the pace for the nation when it comes to exchanging electronic health records. They began exchanging information such as lab results, pharmacy data, consult reports and lab work in 2001. In 2004, the system was updated so that each department would receive an alert if a drug were prescribed that might have an adverse effect."

Beginning early next year, those federal systems, along with Kaiser Permanente, a California-based HMO, will test a new, three-way sharing system. Meanwhile, the White House has pushed for a similar, nationwide system, and some experts say this project could serve as a model (Britt, 11/4).