The organizational structure for medical information management in the Department of Veterans Affairs. An overview of major health care databases.

This article is intended to provide a basic framework for the reader in understanding the structure and products of the information management system that supports the functions of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). It will identify the primary information resources management organizations in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and briefly describe how they relate to each other; summarize the history, purpose, and contents of the major health care databases; and discuss future directions for VHA's information management efforts.