During a Sept. 10 hearing, lawmakers voiced strong criticism of the VA's rollout of its Oracle Health EHR system, with one member urging the department to abandon the project altogether, Nextgov reported.
In 2018, the VA signed a contract with Cerner, now Oracle Health, to revamp its EHR system. However, the rollout of the Oracle Health EHR system has faced significant challenges, including cost overruns, patient safety issues and technical problems. As a result, the implementation was paused in April 2023, with only six VA facilities having the system fully deployed.
During a Sept. 10 House Veterans' Affairs Committee oversight hearing, Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., criticized Oracle Health, stating that it "is not a system that is meant for the VA medical system" and should be "abandoned today."
Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., chair of the House Veterans' Affairs subcommittee on technology modernization, concurred with Mr. Murphy's concerns and emphasized that "a change has to be made" to streamline the modernization effort.
This comes as the VA looks to continue the Oracle Health EHR rollout before the end of fiscal year 2025.