The Office of Inspector General recently audited the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) EHR implementation and found problems with its current data migration, interface usage, and user access.
After a series of problems and delays in the VA's implementation of a new EHR modernization (EHRM) program, more issues have surfaced despite the departments’ efforts.
The EHRM program was created to connect and improve data exchange between the Department of Defense (DOD), the VA, and external health providers.
According to the audit, the goal of its implementation is to increase EHR interoperability and create the ability to exchange EHRs securely with other HIT systems without special effort on the part of the user.
The audit states that the DOD and VA did not take all needed actions for interoperability, however, possibly in part because the oversight committee (FERHM) had little active engagement in the program.
According to the audit, the office failed to:
- Consistently migrate patient information to create a single, complete patient EHR
- Develop interfaces from all medical devices so patient information will automatically upload to the system from those devices
- Ensure that users were granted access to the software for only the information needed to perform their duties
The audit recommended the FERHM program director develop and implement plans to create interfaces for medical devices that will easily connect and transfer data to the new EHR platform, modify user roles to better limit patient information, migrate patient information after defining the type of healthcare information that constitutes a complete EHR, and more.
Amanda Norris is the Director of Content for HealthLeaders.