Lawmakers Criticize VA’s Electronic Health Records System After 2 Deaths

Becker's Hospital Review: Two Deaths Possibly Tied To Flawed Oracle Cerner VA EHR Rollout, House Members Say
Three members of Congress wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expressing concerns that the problematic rollout of the Oracle Cerner EHR at the agency could have played a role in the deaths of two veterans. U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, R-Ill., Mike Carey, R-Ohio, and Troy Balderson, R-Ohio, said they had "grave concerns" after visiting the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center in Columbus, Ohio. (Bruce, 11/18)

Military Times: Did VA’s Health Records Problems Cause Two Patient Deaths In Ohio?
In the first case, a veteran connected to the medical center in Columbus, who was prescribed an antibiotic after a hospital visit, never received the medication because “the electronic health record provided erroneous tracking information for the prescription.” The veteran later died of medical complications. Lawmakers said In the second case, a veteran missed a regular medical check-up but that information was not properly transferred into the new system. As a result, “no outreach was attempted to reschedule the appointment.” The man showed up several months later at the medical center suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and died a few days later. (Shane III, 11/16)

In other news about veterans —

AP: No More Mad Cow Worries, Banned Blood Donors Can Give Again 
U.S. Army veteran Matt Schermerhorn couldn’t give blood for years because he was stationed in Europe during a deadly mad cow disease scare there. Now, he’s proud to be back in the donor’s chair. Schermerhorn, 58, is among thousands of people, including current and former military members, who have returned to blood donation centers across the country after federal health officials lifted a ban that stood for more than two decades. (Aleccia, 11/20)