Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers wants to pull the plug on the Department of Veterans Affairs' Cerner EHR rollout, calling the project a "complete failure."
During a House Appropriations Oversight hearing Sept. 13, Ms. Rodgers said the $16 billion EHR system has caused prescription errors, dropped appointments, lost referrals and has made "costly mistakes that directly harmed nearly 150 veterans."
"One hundred and fifty men and women who risked their lives for our country were harmed by the very agency who promised to care for them upon their return," she said. "Irresponsible doesn't even begin to describe it."
Ms. Rodgers also said staff at VA medical centers were not adequately trained on the new system, and have been struggling to work with its "glitches and outages."
"They've been hung out to dry while trying to help frustrated veterans navigate a system that they themselves are burdened by. For too many it's become too much," she said.
Ms. Rodgers said the system has caused many to quit, and that she hopes the department pulls the plug on the rollout.
This comes as the VA said it plans to resume work on the rollout of the EHR system in the summer of 2024 after halting the rollout to additional facilities in April due to ongoing problems with the system.