The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has declared a partnership with the Department of Defense (DOD) and Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization office to initiate a Federal Electronic Health Record. This record has been launched at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (Lovell FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois.
Lovell FHCC, which caters to approximately 75,000 patients annually including Veterans, Navy recruits, and service members, is the only fully integrated health care system in the United States run jointly by VA and DOD. The newly introduced Electronic Health Record aims to enhance the facility's ability to coordinate care and share data with the broader U.S. health care system. It is anticipated that this innovative technology will improve treatment for patients from diverse backgrounds seeking care from Lovell.
Dr. Robert Buckley, Lovell FHCC Director, emphasized on the potential benefits of this new system. "The Federal EHR will enhance care for all beneficiaries who walk through our doors, whether they are Veterans, Navy recruits, students, active-duty service members, their dependents or retirees," said Buckley. "It enables a continuum of care that will enhance our operations as we work to optimize health outcomes for those we serve."
While the VA is advancing with this deployment of EHR in Chicago, it has put all other deployments on hold while it recalibrates its Electronic Health Record Modernization program. This pause was implemented to rectify issues identified with the record systems. Further deployments will not be coordinated until these ongoing issues have been resolved.
VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke about the department's commitment towards improving the EHR system. "We've heard from Veterans and VA clinicians that the new electronic health record is not meeting expectations – and we're holding Oracle Cerner and ourselves accountable to get this right," said McDonough. "This reset period will allow us to focus on fixing what's wrong, listening to those we serve, and laying the foundation for a modern electronic health record that delivers for Veterans and clinicians."
