House Democratic lawmakers introduced a pair of bills that would overhaul the Veterans Affairs IT acquisition process, including one that would audit the Oracle Cerner EHR implementation, Fedscoop reported March 22.
Reps. Mark Takano of California and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida introduced the Manage VA Act and the Department of Veterans Affairs IT Modernization Improvement Act.
If enacted, the IT Modernization Improvement Act would require the VA to contract for an independent assessment of its Oracle Cerner EHR modernization, supply chain modernization, financial management, business transformation and veterans benefits management systems.
The Manage VA Act would aim to unify and standardize VA IT acquisition.
The proposed legislation comes as four patient deaths were linked to the rollout of the Oracle Cerner EHR system at some VA facilities.