The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has modified its Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) plan to address challenges identified in a Congress-commissioned report.
The Comprehensive Lessons Learned report prompted the VA to make both organizational and scheduling changes to the EHRM program, the department said Wednesday. VA will appoint a program executive director for EHR integration and a deputy chief information officer for the program.
The PED will oversee and coordinate cross-organizational and cross-functional communication and implementation strategies, spanning program management and technical matters. The DCIO will handle all program functions related to technology integration.
The department also plans to expand the role of its Office of the Functional Champion, which will work to ensure that clinical efforts support processing and patient safety.
The program’s revised schedule for EHR implementation across Veterans Integrated Support Networks covers pre-deployment activities for VISNs 10 and 20 and preparation work for VISNs 23 and 12, which includes a site in North Chicago. The revision augments the EHRM implementation plan through the early fiscal year 2024.
Cerner holds a $10 billion contract to help the VA implement a modernized EHR that integrates with the Department of Defense.