VA Accelerates Federal EHR Deployment

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For years, skepticism has surrounded VA’s deployment of the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR). The deployments started during President Trump’s first term and, since then, have stopped, restarted, paused, reset, restarted again and now—with the right leadership in place—have accelerated. Doubters on Capitol Hill, in the press, from the Government Accountability Office and from the Office of the Inspector General, have questioned all aspects of the project—from its scope, budget and timeline to its technology, leadership and partners.

It is hardly surprising that many want to know what’s different this time (#WDTT).

One notable difference from previous deployments is the intentional and committed leadership across the program. From his first days at VA, Secretary Collins has championed the program and emphasized that we can and will implement the Federal EHR. He directed VA leaders to develop a comprehensive strategic plan to accelerate EHR deployments across the remaining VA medical centers, as soon as 2031. He told leaders to adopt a standard, baseline EHR to limit local customizations and facilitate accountability. And he replaced the cumbersome, bureaucratic, multi-council decision-making model with a single governance council model that’s already streamlining decisions in preparation for EHR deployments.

Secretary Collins also established accountability for the program and assigned it to me. I therefore hold multiple meetings daily with senior VA leaders responsible for the program, as well as leaders from Oracle Health and other vendor partners, to address issues and make decisions that drive action. I have also added senior advisors to strengthen support in key areas of the transformation, including change and program management, operations, informatics, communication, field adoption, software development and, most recently, benefits realization.

Everyone can be certain this time that our leaders are focused, engaged, and owning it

Another difference this time is the level of engagement with local leadership at individual sites. In the last year, I visited 12 of the 13 deployment sites with plans to visit the final site next month. I have also visited sites in Michigan and Ohio twice. These are not “photo ops.”

When I visit these sites, I engage in candid discussions and intense dialogue to elicit direct feedback that results in actionable change. For example, I speak with the executive leadership teams responsible for running the hospitals and overseeing deployment and change management. I engage consultants to review the schedule, assess our progress and identify areas for improvement. I also meet with super users to ensure they receive adequate training and hands-on learning opportunities. Finally, I consult with the chief of staff to confirm that I have not overlooked any important details. In total, I have talked to more than 400 individuals, listened to their insights and considered their suggestions.

This time, everyone is dialed in, and it is influencing how we drive our deployments

Strong leadership is key to any successful project, as is efficient, effective technology. The Federal EHR is currently live at six VA sites, serving more than 13,000 users who have provided health care to over 188,000 Veterans.

The system is operated and maintained by Oracle Health, and we have strict service-level agreements for its performance—benchmarks that we closely monitor and enforce. Oracle Health has improved system performance, reliability and usability, including operating at 100% outage-free for 27 of the last 31 months (June 2023 – December 2025), with 100% attainment of ticket management targets for 30 consecutive months (July 2023 – December 2025), and 100% attainment of Incident-Free Time for nearly two years straight (March 2024 – December 2025). The Federal EHR is now reliably available to end users, with no system-wide outages. We have reduced disruptions, prevented lost productivity and ensured critical workflows continue without delay.

The bottom line is that, this time, the Federal EHR is working, stable and reliable

Secretary Collins and I are determined to deliver on President Trump’s promise to deploy a single, accessible electronic health record that captures Veterans’ medical history from the moment they swear their initial oath to the very last time they receive care. Veterans will spend less time undergoing repeat tests, imaging and exams because results and reports from the Department of War (DOW) and community health care providers will already be in the system. This increased record visibility will also increase patient safety. And since the Federal EHR will be fully integrated between the DOW and VA health care systems, its deployment will feel seamless to Veterans. The only thing they will notice is that their doctors and nurses have more time for meaningful conversations with them.

This long-awaited, long-doubted health care transformation is finally happening (#EHRMHappens)

Join us and have confidence in the 13 sites going live in 2026. Together, we will usher in a new era of VA care, safeguarding the health of our nation’s Veterans for years to come.

For more information and resources, visit the EHRM website.

Topics in this story

Federal Electronic Health Record

In this article

• Everyone can be certain this time that our leaders are focused, engaged, and owning it
• This time, everyone is dialed in, and it is influencing how we drive our deployments
• The bottom line is that, this time, the Federal EHR is working, stable and reliable
• This long-awaited, long-doubted health care transformation is finally happening (#EHRMHappens)

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