There was an increase in the conversation with the Senate members of the Capitol Hill focused on the project to update the e -health records and the problems and expensive in the past week.
According to Sema Verma, Oracle Health and Oracle Life Sciencees Executive, the Vice President, is the national standard for change management along with advanced test automation, web and visible tools and company partners to pay the project on a large scale to the “timely” finish line.
Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office has added three new recommendations to estimate cost, timeline and system standards, bringing its total recommendations to improve the project to update the electronic health records besieged to 18.
Also, the Trump administration candidate told the Vice Minister of Affairs of the Veterans, Paul Lawrence, a former standard for the Administration of the Budget of the Old Warriors, of the Senate Committee on the Affairs of the Old Warriors in his nomination session on February 19 that he would “travel a necessity” in the coordinated project.
Details of the required critical changes
In new a reportGao said that the Ministry of Old Warriors Affairs made progress in the EHR update. But more is needed. The office confirms that VA still has to process more than 1,800 changes in the required training, update cost estimate and the timeline “to reflect temporary suspension and work that remains” and address the user’s constant discontent with the new system.
“We have multiple recommendations that VA still must implement to improve [EHR] The report said.
“The preliminary results of Gao show that the Ministry of Old Warriors Affairs is making gradual improvements,” such as more than 1500 changes in the formation of the system and “starting projects to meet the challenges of the user.”
As of February 2025, the office added, “VA did not address approximately 1,800 requests to change the complex formation”, and reiterated concerns about the total cost and lack of clarity on the total amount at the present time.
“The estimates of the current EHRM life cycle are between $ 16.1 billion from VA to an independent estimate of $ 49.8 billion,” said Gao.
“Updating the estimation of the cost of an independent life cycle is necessary to understand the full size of the VA investment,” the office said in A. statement Monday.
However, the timing of the ticket settlement has been fulfilled since the implementation of the financial consequences in September 2023.
Several problems “and not everything” have been closed the safety of patients and pharmacy improvements and should be before publishing in the future, according to the office.
Before this new report, Gao issued four reports on the VA EHR update program from June 2020 to May 2023, which made 15 total recommendations.
VA’s “big rocks” processing
On Monday, Dr. Neil Evans, Acting Executive Director of the EHRM integration office of VA, confirmed that improvements were made on the system during the project restoration period.
“The Agency has taken” steps to understand the issues, update our contracts for the Oracle Health accounting better, and made hundreds of improvements to the system and develop a simpler and more effective process to address concerns when it arises. ” certificate.
Evans said: “A series of complex projects to improve EHR in the Ministry of Old Warriors Affairs – referred to as” large rocks ” – in the event of a movement.
She said that it includes unifying the roles of the user, improving the training of the new EHR users for new users, and processing coordination between doctors and pharmacists.
There certificateVerma has provided Senate members with plans to quickly expand the regime’s deployment to the remaining 164 VA health facilities.
While reset, Oracle completed more than 3000 functional changes on Cerner EHR, which improved its stability, and added simplified improvements and functions.
However, “maintaining the current pace will take decades, which is unacceptable to anyone, which is why we recommend the path of acceleration,” Verma told the legislators before setting seven major initiatives to complete the VA’s EHR update program.
In addition to developing a standard for a strong change management process in all VA EHR users, Oracle Health is investing in a series of automatic applications, which Verma said will shorten the test phase by reducing manual test efforts, user on board and training.
“Automation ensures that each publication is tested precisely in less time, allowing us to support larger volume of simultaneous publishing operations without prejudice to quality.”
Verma said the EHR seller also recommends using a “web -based tool to collect the site’s data more efficiently.”
For “Big Rocks” projects, Oracle’s efforts focused on pharmacy, referrals, fast orders and other aspects of EHR.
“We have strengthened the process and the procedures used greatly for patient safety,” said Verma.
Evans also told the Subcommittee: “It is worth noting that an important part of the planned pharmacy improvements, known as” Pharmacy 3B “, is scheduled to be released this month as part of the update of the bilateral software code.”
According to the new GAO report, the agency has provided six seven improved pharmacists and service providers. In June 2024, VA said that strengthening the remaining pharmacy to synchronize the pharmacists unit and the pharmacy unit of the health care team will be delivered with the update of the planned February 2025.
Evans also indicated the importance, which is the development of a tool called the Federal EHR basis line, which provides data on more than 2,300 functional and technological components used to unify the uniformity of VA health care in better to increase efficiency and prevent delay in future users.
He told the sub-committee: “The use of the baseline to better agree with the national VA standards before Go-Live will help avoid the disappointed of the employees, delay publishing and increase the cost.”
Excuse an interview with the following “COO” for EHR
In a statement prepared for the Senate Committee on Old Warriors Affairs on February 19 hearing On his candidacy, the commentator for the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Affairs of the Veterans, Paul Lawrence, pledged to work with the legislators to obtain “Virginia obtaining [EHR] The update effort again on the right track. “
If confirmed, Lawrence will actually be the CEO of the VA EHR implementation.
Senator asked garlic Tilis, R North Carolina, about what he would do about the previous mistakes of the agency.
Lawrence replied that he “will lead to a fuss” and pointed out that the accountability of the leadership with analogy helped him in his last role as the initial assets of the benefits that lead to the management of the benefits of old warriors.
Senator Patti Murray said Washongton, because the Ministry of Old Warriors Affairs announced in December that it would work The appeal of its planned EHR post In mid -2016, she wanted to know what Lawrence would do differently to hold Oracle accountable.
She said, “I need your commitment to not only” lead people “and take a look at it, and that they will make changes to them and demand changes and get reforms,” because the system still endangers the care of old warriors at risk and thwarting VA doctors.
Lawrence answered that the teams he brought was that he has made effective technology improvements in his previous VBA role. Then he pledged to get EHR from VA.
Senator Jim Banks, R-Indiana, asked Lawrence about why he believed that the EHR project had gone “away from bars.”
“There are many questions that have not been answered,” Lawrence said, which he said to be asked, if confirmed.
Tellis Lawrence asked if he could report the EHR application within 90 days and lines “What are the practices that led us to the trench” that must be stopped, and what measures should be taken and what is happening well.
Lawrence said he would adhere to such a review, because it was a new thing Give priorityBut he added that he could not adhere to the time frame.
“Anyone who deserves salt can know the error in a project within 90 days,” said Teleles.
Andrea Fox is a great health care editor.
Email: Afox@himss.org
Healthcare is Hosz News.
