The Department of Defense has launched of AHLTA, a global electronic health record system, at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda last week.

AHLTA is the largest, most significant electronic health record system of its kind with the potential to serve more than nine million servicemembers, retirees and their families worldwide.

When fully implemented, about 60,000 military healthcare professionals at DoD medical facilities in the United States, and 11 other countries will use this electronic health record system.

Beneficiaries' health records will be available around the clock and around the world, available to healthcare providers, and protected from loss and unauthorized access.

Full deployment of the system in DoD's 800 clinics and 70 hospitals will be complete by December 2006. More information on AHLTA can be found on their Website.