New York, NY (February 12, 2020) — On Monday, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie delayed the implementation of the VA’s new Electronic Health Record (EHR), an initiative executed by the Cerner Corporation.  The pilot for the new system was scheduled to “go-live” at the Mann-Grandstaff VAMC in Spokane in early March.  

Last week, IAVA learned that implementation of the EHR would result in a reduction in services for veterans, and complicate their access to health information.  IAVA CEO Jeremy Butler wrote a letter to the VA Secretary requesting a full briefing on the EHR roll-out, stating that he was “deeply worried” about the “undue burden” this would place on veterans.  Butler’s letter is available here.

“We are concerned that the Secretary has delayed the roll-out of the EHR,” said Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “We regret that this long-awaited project needs to be further delayed, but ultimately this was the right call given the apparent reduction in online services that would have resulted. However, that does not alleviate my frustration that the VA did not keep us informed of the known deficiencies in the new system.”