Dr. Neil Evans from the agency provided insights on how the progress of the Oracle-Cerner program rollout in North Chicago is guiding the next phases of EHR modernization
he most recent rollout of the Electronic Health Record (EHR) system by the Department of Veterans Affairs, in partnership with the Defense Department, took place earlier this month at its North Chicago facility. Following a comprehensive review and feedback gathering process that led to a program pause, this deployment signifies the largest adoption of the system to date.
Dr. Neil Evans, acting executive director of the VAâs Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office, underscored the close collaboration with the DOD to ensure a seamless implementation of the joint system.
“Our primary focus during the program reset has been on preparing for the go-live at Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC), given its unique status as a joint site,” Evans explained during a recent media briefing.
“This stands as a fundamental component of our reset strategy and signifies a substantial progression toward recommencing deployment.”
Evans stressed that the success of this rollout will serve as a foundation for the broader EHR modernization efforts of the VA, provided it meets the department’s predefined criteria. Lovell, being the largest of the six facilities where the EHR has been deployed, offers an opportunity to evaluate its performance in a more intricate environment.
“We’ve implemented significant enhancements in contrast to prior deployments at the five existing sites.” This rollout is pivotal in assessing the impact of those changes,” Evans stated.
“The knowledge acquired from this implementation at FHCC will shape our decisions as we advance with deployments in other locations.”
In addressing the challenges associated with staff adoption, Evans highlighted several initiatives undertaken by the VA to acquaint employees with the new system. These initiatives include overhauling EHR training, assigning dedicated “super user” employees to train their colleagues, improving computer-based training, and providing learning labs for hands-on practice.
“Transitioning to a new electronic health record entails assisting staff in navigating technological changes that affect how they deliver patient care,” Evans emphasized.
