AIMS Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill requires the Defense Department and the VA to jointly adopt the same interoperable software for sharing medical images like X-rays, MRIs, and other clinical data across all their facilities. This means doctors at either department could instantly access a patient's imaging history without waiting for physical media to arrive.
• The bill specifically targets the outdated practice of mailing CDs and DVDs to share medical images between providers. This current method causes treatment delays, drives up costs, and forces patients to undergo duplicate imaging procedures.
• The new system must work on smartphones and tablets, send real-time alerts to providers, and let patients manage their own health data through a mobile app. It also requires synchronous (real-time) data exchange so clinical information is available as soon as it is captured.
• Within 180 days of enactment, the two Secretaries must brief Congress and submit a detailed plan with timelines, cost projections, and milestones for achieving full interoperability. Follow-up reports are required every six months after that.
• The interoperability requirement extends beyond just DoD and VA facilities. It also covers community care providers who treat veterans under VA agreements, ensuring seamless image sharing even when care happens outside the federal system.