Barrett Continues Oversight of Upcoming Electronic Health Record System Rollout at Detroit VA Hospital

Detroit, Mich. -Congressman Tom Barrett (MI-07) today met with leaders of the John D. Dingell Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to review the hospital's preparation for the new Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) rollout this spring. He was joined by Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06).

Barrett is chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization and is leading oversight to ensure a smooth transition that does not disrupt care for veterans. On Wednesday, he conducted a separate oversight visit to the Lutz VA Medical Centerin Saginaw. All four VA hospitals in Michigan's Lower Peninsula - Saginaw, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Battle Creek - will go live with EHRM on April 11.

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On Wednesday, Barrett said: "The goal of the VA's new Electronic Health Record system is to streamline and improve health care for veterans while reducing burdens on the doctors and nurses who provide it. Unfortunately, we know from previous rollouts that a bumpy transition can cause frustrating delays and unacceptable disruptions instead. We can't let that happen in Michigan's VA hospitals. As we approach the go-live date, I'll continue conducting the necessary oversight to ensure the VA delivers for our veterans."

Today, he added: "I appreciated hearing directly from Dr. Raghu Matta and the leadership team at the Detroit VA about their preparations to ensure the transition goes smoothly for our veterans. I look forward to our continued partnership before, during, and after the initial rollout."

Accompanied by Majority staff from the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Barrett and Dingell met with Dr. Raghu Matta, the hospital's chief of staff, along with other hospital officials, medical professionals, and employees. Barrett received an overview of the hospital's EHRM preparations, including staff training, the gameplan for the night of the system change, and other steps the facility has taken to prepare for the transition.

Background information:

The VA's Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program was established by Congress when it passed the VA MISSION Act in 2018. The program is implementing a new EHR system that will be shared by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. This new digital system will enable health records to follow each service member from his or her time on active duty into retirement when the VA takes over handling care.

In recent years, the VA implemented EHRM at several hospitals across the country, but the earlier transitions were fraught with technical issues that made it difficult for VA doctors and nurses to access veterans' up-to-date records when providing care.

In his role as chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, which has oversight jurisdiction of the ongoing EHRM rollout, Barrett has led multiple hearingsto engage with top VA officials about the transition and mitigate any potential points of failure.

Last week, in the full House Veterans' Affairs Committee, Barrett discussed EHRM with VA Secretary Doug Collinsand Acting COO of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Gregory Goins.

Click hereto read coverage of an oversight hearing Barrett led in December.