[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":258,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The chair of the House subcommittee, charged with legislative oversight of the VA\u2019s $10 billion Cerner electronic health record implementation, is concerned that the agency will not be ready for the EHR\u2019s initial go-live slated for March.\u201cWe have reached a critical juncture in the implementation\u2014we are now a little more than four months from the planned go-live in Spokane, Washington, on March 28, 2020,\u201d said Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), chair of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, during a hearing on Wednesday. \u201cHowever, many questions remain about VA\u2019s readiness to operate the Cerner Millennium system in a clinical environment.\u201d

Lee pointed out that that the ongoing EHR rollout is a very complex undertaking that includes configuration, interface development, testing and training\u2014all leading to the first go-live on March 28.\u201cIf any of those items are not completed in a timely manner, it will be very difficult for the VA to bring the system online in a manner that does not compromise patient care,\u201d she warned. \u201cI know that Cerner has been engaged in testing individual modules. But we need the entire integrated system to be tested so that it can be used for training.\u201dLee advised VA officials not to repeat the \u201csame mistake\u201d that the Department of Defense made in the initial rollout of its Cerner EHR, when it \u201ctested on a mocked-up system.\u201dThe initial rollout of DoD\u2019s Cerner Millennium platform\u2014called MHS GENESIS\u2014to pilot sites was not without some major challenges. The system was deemed \u201cneither operationally effective nor operationally suitable,\u201d according to a 2018 report from DoD\u2019s director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E) that was based on an assessment of three of four pilot sites in Washington state."As I\u2019ve said, since I became chair of the subcommittee, the most important thing is that the VA get this right, not that it hits an arbitrary deadline,\u201d Lee added. \u201cI am concerned that the VA has not given itself enough time to fully test the system, nor have they allowed time for all users to adequately train on it.\u201dHowever, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), ranking member of the subcommittee, commented that he is \u201ccautiously optimistic that a March 28, 2020, go-live is still achievable in Spokane.\u201d Still, Banks acknowledged the complexity of the VA\u2019s short-term EHR activities, which he described as a \u201ctightly linked series of milestones\u201d over the next four months.\u201cIt is easy to imagine some of these targets may slip,\u201d Banks observed. \u201cIf that happens, I urge VA and Cerner to take the time necessary to get it right rather than adhering to a symbolic deadline.\u201dNonetheless, in his testimony before the subcommittee, VA Deputy Secretary James Byrne told lawmakers that he is \u201cvery confident\u201d that the agency is going to be ready for the initial go-live in March and that it will be successful.\u201cWe have a governance construct that is in place that provides oversight and drills down into the various issues and challenges that we have,\u201d testified Byrne. \u201cWe very much appreciate that this is a major undertaking for any agency or healthcare system. But we have metrics that we\u2019re tracking very closely.\u201d At the same time, Byrne said once the go-live occurs, the agency\u2019s rollout of its Cerner system involves deploying the EHR at initial operating capability (IOC) sites with the goal of identifying challenges that emerge and correcting them. \u201cWith this IOC site approach, VA will hone governance, identify efficient strategies, and reduce risk to the portfolio by solidifying workflows and detecting course correction opportunities prior to the deployment at additional sites,\u201d testified Byrne<\/i>. \u201cSpecifically, at the IOC sites, VA will implement new workflows in discrete capability sets, also known as blocks."","saveContent":"The chair of the House subcommittee, charged with legislative oversight of the VA\u2019s $10 billion Cerner electronic health record implementation, is concerned that the agency will not be ready for the EHR\u2019s initial go-live slated for March.\u201cWe have reached a critical juncture in the implementation\u2014we are now a little more than four months from the planned go-live in Spokane, Washington, on March 28, 2020,\u201d said Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), chair of the House Veterans\u2019 Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, during a hearing on Wednesday. \u201cHowever, many questions remain about VA\u2019s readiness to operate the Cerner Millennium system in a clinical environment.\u201dLee pointed out that that the ongoing EHR rollout is a very complex undertaking that includes configuration, interface development, testing and training\u2014all leading to the first go-live on March 28.\u201cIf any of those items are not completed in a timely manner, it will be very difficult for the VA to bring the system online in a manner that does not compromise patient care,\u201d she warned. \u201cI know that Cerner has been engaged in testing individual modules. But we need the entire integrated system to be tested so that it can be used for training.\u201dLee advised VA officials not to repeat the \u201csame mistake\u201d that the Department of Defense made in the initial rollout of its Cerner EHR, when it \u201ctested on a mocked-up system.\u201dThe initial rollout of DoD\u2019s Cerner Millennium platform\u2014called MHS GENESIS\u2014to pilot sites was not without some major challenges. The system was deemed \u201cneither operationally effective nor operationally suitable,\u201d according to a 2018 report from DoD\u2019s director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E) that was based on an assessment of three of four pilot sites in Washington state."As I\u2019ve said, since I became chair of the subcommittee, the most important thing is that the VA get this right, not that it hits an arbitrary deadline,\u201d Lee added. \u201cI am concerned that the VA has not given itself enough time to fully test the system, nor have they allowed time for all users to adequately train on it.\u201dHowever, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), ranking member of the subcommittee, commented that he is \u201ccautiously optimistic that a March 28, 2020, go-live is still achievable in Spokane.\u201d Still, Banks acknowledged the complexity of the VA\u2019s short-term EHR activities, which he described as a \u201ctightly linked series of milestones\u201d over the next four months.\u201cIt is easy to imagine some of these targets may slip,\u201d Banks observed. \u201cIf that happens, I urge VA and Cerner to take the time necessary to get it right rather than adhering to a symbolic deadline.\u201dNonetheless, in his testimony before the subcommittee, VA Deputy Secretary James Byrne told lawmakers that he is \u201cvery confident\u201d that the agency is going to be ready for the initial go-live in March and that it will be successful.\u201cWe have a governance construct that is in place that provides oversight and drills down into the various issues and challenges that we have,\u201d testified Byrne. \u201cWe very much appreciate that this is a major undertaking for any agency or healthcare system. But we have metrics that we\u2019re tracking very closely.\u201d At the same time, Byrne said once the go-live occurs, the agency\u2019s rollout of its Cerner system involves deploying the EHR at initial operating capability (IOC) sites with the goal of identifying challenges that emerge and correcting them. \u201cWith this IOC site approach, VA will hone governance, identify efficient strategies, and reduce risk to the portfolio by solidifying workflows and detecting course correction opportunities prior to the deployment at additional sites,\u201d testified Byrne<\/i>. \u201cSpecifically, at the IOC sites, VA will implement new workflows in discrete capability sets, also known as blocks."","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Lawmakers concerned VA’s Cerner EHR will not be ready for go-live

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