Cerner

In two separate reports, VA’s inspector general describes opportunities the department missed to learn from DoD’s rocky EHR rollout in the Pacific Northwest.

The Department of Veterans Affairs was on track to roll out an initial set of electronic health record capabilities at its first site in Spokane, Washington, in July. But the coronavirus pandemic has paused those plans indefinitely.

Members on the House Veterans Affairs Committee say they plan to double down on their oversight of VA’s electronic health record modernization amid a recent decision to delay the initial rollout.

The department had planned to deploy the multibillion dollar EHR at its first site in Spokane, Washington, next month. Officials said they would announce a new schedule “in the coming weeks.”

Defense health IT officials say they’re seeing only about one-third the number of trouble tickets as they encountered during the initial wave of MHS Genesis deployments.

Lawmakers are concerned the Department of Veterans Affairs didn’t do its due diligence in making the decision to adopt a new scheduling system from Cerner, the same contractor both the VA and Pentagon are using to overhaul their electronic health records.

The launch adds four new bases to the embattled GENESIS electronic health record system.

GAO said VA doesn’t have a comprehensive definition of its current VistA system, or how much it’s spending to keep it up and running.

Veterans Affairs says it will spend nearly $5 billion over next 10 years to maintain legacy electronic health record while implementing a separate, multi-billion-dollar system at facilities.

As the Department of Veterans Affairs continues to implement a new version of its community care program, lawmakers will also debate whether VA is spending too much on private care at the expense of other agency priorities.