N.C. Republicans Highlight Problems with VA Medical Record System Rollout
North Carolina Congressional leaders, including Congressman Greg Murphy and Senator Thom Tillis, continue to highlight problems with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ implementation of the Electronic Health Modernization (EHRM) program. The VA first awarded the contract in 2018 to Cerner, which Oracle later acquired, and so far, only six of the 170 VA centers have gone live with Oracle records. Even with a relatively small deployment, a watchdog report uncovered errors with the system that led to patient harm, including possible deaths.
Why it matters to North Carolina: The Old North State brands itself as the most military-friendly state and is the proud home of major military bases, including Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. The defense sector is the second largest economic driver in the state, and over 600,000 veterans call North Carolina home. The VA operates four medical centers, seven outpatient clinics, and 20 community-based outpatient clinics in North Carolina to serve our massive veteran population.
What is happening now:
Last week at a Congressional oversight hearing, VA Secretary Doug Collins said he plans to accelerate the site rollouts of the software at VA centers across the country, with the goal of getting 20 to 25 facilities integrated with the software by 2027. At that hearing, Congressman Greg Murphy said, “I’m still dumbfounded at the billions and billions and billions of dollars that have been poured into the EHR that should never have been in the first place. It’s not a system that should be used for the largest healthcare system in the country.” Murphy has been practicing medicine for decades, and he represents Camp Lejeune, the home to 36,000 active-duty personnel.
·Additionally, Sen. Tillis raised concerns about the botched rollout at the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee meetings in January and February.
Tim’s Take: What really concerns me as the son of a veteran is that the VA plans to expand the program without a serious plan to fix the problems or cost overruns. The project was originally supposed to cost $10 billion, but now costs are up to $16 billion, and the vast majority of the VA is not even using the system. Some estimate that the full project would cost up to $37 billion for full deployment. Also, last March, the system experienced a widespread outage that is still under investigation. Given the limited deployment and consistent problems, it might be time for the VA to look for a realistic alternative.
