Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Resumes Plans To Roll Out First EHR Site
Modern Healthcare: VA Resumes Rollout Of $16 Billion Cerner EHR Project
The Veterans Affairs Department has restarted the rollout of its multibillion-dollar electronic health record project after pausing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The VA had planned to bring its first site—Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Wash.—live on a new Cerner Corp. EHR in March, but pushed back the deployment just a few weeks before the scheduled go-live date, saying it needed more time to build the system. Then, in April, the VA paused the EHR rollout on account of COVID-19. (Cohen, 8/7)
The Washington Post: After Hydroxychloroquine Use At Pennsylvania VA Home, Congresswoman Urges VA To Stick To Science
A U.S. congresswoman from Pennsylvania, riled by the experimental use of hydroxychloroquine in a nursing home for veterans in her home district, is among several lawmakers calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to adhere to science when providing recommendations on future coronavirus treatments or vaccines. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) sent a letter late last month to the Veterans Health Administration, demanding more information about the use of anti-malarial drugs including hydroxychloroquine at veterans homes and whether VA was actively involved in the unproven treatment. She cited the beleaguered Southeastern Veterans’ Center in the suburbs of Philadelphia, which treated about 30 veterans and their spouses with hydroxychloroquine in April. (Mikhail, Rosenzweig-Ziff and Jacobs, 8/8)
