An Oracle Health implementation in the Chicago area could be a "critical test" for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs EHR rollout, NextGov/FCW reported.
The Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Ill., launched Oracle Health on March 9, the first — and only — joint EHR between the VA and Department of Defense, according to the story. It also marks the completion of the Military Health System Genesis EHR from Oracle Health at DOD facilities.
This installation is viewed as a test of sorts because it could inform how and when the VA moves ahead with its Oracle Health EHR, which has been delayed by technical bugs and patient safety concerns, per the March 9 story.
"This really has been a part of the reset for us," said Neil Evans, MD, acting program executive director of VA's EHR Modernization Integration Office, at a media briefing covered by NextGov/FCW. He called the Lovell go-live a path forward in restarting the Oracle Health VA rollout "as we learn from this deployment and as we've been doing this together with the DOD." He added that issues with the EHR's pharmacy software have largely been fixed.