Health Records

VA’s Health Records Digitization Backlog Is 5 Miles High

Staff at Veterans Affairs medical facilities aren’t keeping up with the backlog of paper records that need to be digitized, with some outstanding documents dating back to 2016.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA, DOD Hiring Executives To Lead Billion-Dollar Electronic Health Records Overhaul

The jobs entail coordinating between two of the largest bureaucracies in government through one of the most difficult technology transitions to date.

  • By Aaron Boyd

DOD’s Next Electronic Health System Rollout Will Be Different, Officials Say

After a poor showing in the first deployment of the MHS GENESIS electronic health records system, officials have retuned the training system and ensured better infrastructure is in place for the next rollout.

  • By Aaron Boyd

CMS, USDS Pilot Unlocks Patient Data to Boost Provider Care

The project allows health care professionals to see claims information for past treatments instead of relying on patients’ memories.

  • By Brandi Vincent

VA Migrates 23.5 Million Veteran Patient Records To Cerner Data Center

All new patient data will go into the shared Veterans Affairs-Defense Department data center as the two agencies move forward with the massive electronic health records overhaul.

  • By Aaron Boyd

VA Doesn’t Really Know What It Costs To Run VistA

Lowball estimates for operating the current electronic health records system through the transition to Cerner cast doubt that overall projections are accurate.

  • By Aaron Boyd

What the U.S. Medical System Can Learn From Estonia

Americans waste time and money filling out paperwork and repeating tests in the doctor’s office. A small Baltic nation has found a better way.

  • By Olga Khazan, The Atlantic

Congress Questions Leadership of VA Health Record Overhaul

Veterans Affairs officials said their upgraded health record platform will start rolling out in March, but lawmakers worry they might be jumping in too soon.

  • By Jack Corrigan

VA Won’t Delay Launch of Private Care Software Tool Despite Reported Flaws

The tech will go live on June 6 even if it’s operating “at 70 percent or 50 percent,” said Secretary Robert Wilkie.

  • By Jack Corrigan

After CIO No-Show, Congress Not Confident in VA’s IT Shop

The Veterans Affairs Department earned no goodwill when it declined to testify before a House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee.

  • By Frank Konkel

Management, Not Money, Will Make or Break VA Modernization, Lawmakers Say

“We are no longer on the cusp of transformation, we are in the middle of it,” Secretary Robert Wilkie told senators.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Proposed Rule Would Force Health Care Providers to Share Records Electronically

For millions of Americans, accessing their health records is an onerous task. A new rule could change that.

  • By Frank Konkel

House Veterans Affairs is Having Trouble Hiring Tech Experts

The group’s struggle reflects the growing shortage of tech talent on Capitol Hill.

  • By Jack Corrigan

VA to Pilot Health Records System in March 2020

Lawmakers still have serious concerns about the agency’s multibillion health records overhaul.

  • By Frank Konkel

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Lawmaker Scolds VA Chief for 'Stonewalling' Probe Into Trump's Mar-a-Lago Crowd

House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mark Takano called out Secretary Robert Wilkie for failing to provide documents on the agency’s communication with the trio.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Apple Is Building an iPhone App for Vets' Medical Records

The tool, which connects directly to VA’s health record database, will roll out sometime this summer.

  • By Jack Corrigan

VA’s Health Record Overhaul Could Get Even More Expensive, Officials Say

The agency’s acting deputy secretary called the project’s $16 billion price-tag “an educated guess.”

  • By Jack Corrigan

Freshman Lawmaker Will Oversee VA’s Multibillion-dollar EHR Overhaul

Rep. Susie Lee will lead the House Veterans Affairs Technology Modernization subcommittee.

  • By Jack Corrigan

Critical Update: 3 Major Programs to Watch in 2019

To wrap season two, we run down three programs with high stakes for the agencies in play, as well as the rest of government.

  • By Nextgov Staff

Lawmakers Want IG to Dig into Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Crowd

The trio of informal associates is reported to wield outsized influence over personnel and procurement decisions at the Veterans Affairs Department.

  • By Jack Corrigan

How HHS Plans to Make Health IT Easier to Use

The agency wants to hear from doctors on how to make the tech more seamless in their day-to-day activities.

  • By Jack Corrigan