The $16 billion price tag on the Department of Veterans Affairs' EHR rollout could triple due to delayed installations, system maintenance, staffing issues and more, according to the Military Times.
The project was initially approved in 2017 during the Trump administration to install the Cerner EHR, now branded as Oracle Cerner, at VA hospitals across the U.S. over a 10-year period. Since then, the medical record system has faced rollout challenges, and a report last week by the VA Inspector General's office noted 149 cases of patient harm caused by the Oracle Cerner Millennium software at a hospital in Spokane, Wash.
The VA postponed deploying the system in Boise, Idaho-based hospitals earlier this week as a result.
Officials now estimate the project will take 30 years and could cost $51 billion, factoring in costs outside of the contract to establish protocols and train staff. The system will still cost just $16 billion per the contract.