American Legion believes success with the new EHRM rollout can be replicated with adequate staffing and preparation by Oracle and VA.
The American Legion submitted a Statement for the Record (SFR) for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Oversight hearing on Dec. 15 about VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program.
Matthew Cardenas, a policy analyst in the Legion’s Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division, submitted the SFR for the hearing. Read the SFR.
The rollout of VA’s EHRM, Oracle Cerner Millennium, has faced issues such as veteran prescription data being outdated or dropped altogether. But The American Legion has also seen its success that can be replicated for future rollouts.
The American Legion visited the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center FHCC in Chicago in August to review how the facility has adopted and implemented the new electronic health record system.
“Facility staff reported zero instances of critical harm and no veterans’ health seriously affected due to problems resulting from the rollout,” Cardenas wrote in the SFR. “Staff further reported that VA had provided ample staff to assist with the rollout, complemented by Oracle employees who spent significant time at the facility assisting with the process. All the departments with which we spoke to reported being generally pleased with the new software, and the facility has since been able to return to near-normal staffing levels.”
The American Legion believes that the successful rollout at Lovell FHCC can be replicated in future rollouts with adequate staff and preparation by Oracle and VA.
“It is critical that facilities with upcoming rollouts are provided with the same level of support, training and oversight,” the SFR stated. “Specifically, VA and Oracle must commit increased facility staffing during rollouts similar to the levels provided to Lovell FHCC during the transition.”
American Legion national staff in Washington, D.C., have attended briefings from Oracle and “we have been assured the Millennium EHR deployment at new sites will not face the same difficulties and setbacks as at the first six sites. Oracle has committed to the necessary investments needed to ensure the deployment of the EHR at new sites will be more stable.”
For continued success of the EHRM rollout, The American Legion urges Congress, VA and Oracle to ensure adequate staffing augmentation and robust technical support for all future deployments .
“The American Legion’s position and outlook on the upcoming EHRM rollouts remains positive,” Cardenas wrote. “The rollout at Lovell FHCC was an overall success, but VA and Oracle must heed the important lessons learned there and put them to future use. The American Legion urges Congress to conduct regular oversight hearings with Oracle and VA stakeholders to ensure transparent, ongoing updates throughout the deployment process.”
- Legislative