Denis McDonough, secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), said that VA is considering developing an enterprise-wide framework for electronic health records modernization project governance after initial users of its new EHR platform voiced their concerns over the commercially built technology, Federal News Network reported Wednesday.
He added that the department needs to adjust its timeline for deploying the system, based on Cerner’s Millennium software, to additional sites.
His remarks come after a strategic review of the VA’s EHR modernization effort uncovered problems with training, data migration, usability and patient safety.
Cerner received a potential 10-year, $10 billion contract in May 2018 to help the VA implement the same commercial off-the-shelf platform the Defense Department has adopted and the health technology provider completed deployment work at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Washinton state in October 2020.
McDonough said clinicians using the platform confirmed the availability of data pools from both departments but they reported the system does not populate records simultaneously.
VA officials on Wednesday shared with reporters a document on lessons the department learned from the initial rollout.
