Genevieve Morris, chief health information officer in charge of the Cerner transition at the Veterans Affairs Department, posted her resignation letter addressed to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie and HHS Secretary Alex Azar on Twitter Aug. 24, effective immediately.
Ms. Morris served as CHIO at the VA's Office for EHR Modernization for about one month. She was on detail from her position as principal deputy national coordinator, where she led interoperability efforts at HHS' ONC.
In her letter, Ms. Morris said she appreciated the opportunity to serve at the VA, but that the agency's leadership "intends to take the EHR modernization effort in a different direction than we were headed." Ms. Morris did not provide additional information.
"Since my service as CHIO was always intended to be an interim solution, I am offering my resignation to the administration effective immediately," the letter reads.
The VA recently established the OEHRM to guide its transition to a new Cerner EHR. The agency has previously said it is working closely with the Defense Department, which is also switching to Cerner but has faced criticism over the new systems' capabilities.
Ms. Morris' resignation comes just days after the departure of OEHRM CMO Ashwini Zenooz, MD, effective Sept. 4, according to the Politico Morning eHealth newsletter.