[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":1789,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"Responding to the recent departures of senior leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a House subcommittee chairman is worried that the VA office in charge of EHR modernization is floundering.

Last month, the VA established the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization to oversee the preparation, deployment and maintenance of a new Cerner EHR system, which will replace the agency\u2019s decades-old Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture.

However, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie expressing his \u201cgreat concern\u201d about the agency\u2019s \u201cdeteriorating and rudderless leadership\u201d and its ability to manage a $10 billion Cerner EHR contract.

\u201cThe resignation of the Chief Health Information Officer, the program\u2019s top leader, comes only three days after the resignation of the Chief Medical Officer,\u201d Banks wrote to Wilkie. \u201cAs a result, at most half of the program\u2019s senior leadership positions are occupied, and its rank-and-file positions are only sparsely filled, primarily with detailees. This comes at a time when VA is making the most pivotal decisions as to the design of the Cerner EHR system.\u201d

CMO Ash Zenooz, MD, announced her resignation last Tuesday. And, CHIO Genevieve Morris, a Trump administration political appointee who was on loan to the VA from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, resigned abruptly from both agencies on Friday.

\u201cDespite several requests, I was not even able to meet with the EHRM leadership team before these departures,\u201d according to Banks.

For her part, Morris had been working at the VA Office of EHR Modernization to ensure that the agency\u2019s Cerner implementation went as smoothly as possible. However, Morris indicated in her resignation letter that she was resigning because the \u201cVA\u2019s leadership intends to take the EHR modernization effort in a different direction than we were headed.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: Morris resignation could signal trouble with VA EHR plans<\/a>

The VA announced that John Windom has been appointed acting CHIO of the Office of EHR Modernization to replace Morris.

\u201cWe are pleased that John Windom will now take over as Acting CHIO for OEHRM,\u201d said VA Secretary Wilkie in a written statement. \u201cJohn is a recently retired Navy captain who played a key leadership role in the Pentagon\u2019s electronic health record modernization efforts, and in leading VA\u2019s negotiations with Cerner over the last year.\u201d

Nonetheless, in his letter to Wilkie, Banks urged him to identify a permanent CHIO immediately who \u201cpossesses the requisite medical and technical knowledge and demonstrates managerial competency for such a large EHR transition.\u201d In addition, Banks urged the VA secretary to pick a CMO from within the Veterans Health Administration, insisting that \u201cit is crucial that this person commands the respect of the VHA workforce, as he or she must represent its views in the extremely sensitive task of redesigning clinical processes.\u201d

Further, Banks requested that Wilkie provide the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization with a detailed organizational chart for the VA Office of EHR Modernization, listing each federal position and full-time contractor while \u201cindicating the name of each position\u2019s incumbent or its vacant status\u201d by September 7.

Last month, the House Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs formally approved the creation of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization\u2014with Banks as its chairman\u2014to provide oversight of the VA\u2019s rollout of the Cerner Millennium platform.

\u201cIt would be a tragedy for the program to be undermined by personality conflicts and bureaucratic power struggles before it even begins in earnest,\u201d Banks told Wilkie. \u201cI am dedicated to pursuing a constructive oversight agenda to encourage VA to make the right decisions, but any engagement is difficult without stable leadership.\u201d","saveContent":"Responding to the recent departures of senior leaders at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a House subcommittee chairman is worried that the VA office in charge of EHR modernization is floundering.

Last month, the VA established the Office of Electronic Health Record Modernization to oversee the preparation, deployment and maintenance of a new Cerner EHR system, which will replace the agency\u2019s decades-old Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture.

However, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, sent a letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie expressing his \u201cgreat concern\u201d about the agency\u2019s \u201cdeteriorating and rudderless leadership\u201d and its ability to manage a $10 billion Cerner EHR contract.

\u201cThe resignation of the Chief Health Information Officer, the program\u2019s top leader, comes only three days after the resignation of the Chief Medical Officer,\u201d Banks wrote to Wilkie. \u201cAs a result, at most half of the program\u2019s senior leadership positions are occupied, and its rank-and-file positions are only sparsely filled, primarily with detailees. This comes at a time when VA is making the most pivotal decisions as to the design of the Cerner EHR system.\u201d

CMO Ash Zenooz, MD, announced her resignation last Tuesday. And, CHIO Genevieve Morris, a Trump administration political appointee who was on loan to the VA from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, resigned abruptly from both agencies on Friday.

\u201cDespite several requests, I was not even able to meet with the EHRM leadership team before these departures,\u201d according to Banks.

For her part, Morris had been working at the VA Office of EHR Modernization to ensure that the agency\u2019s Cerner implementation went as smoothly as possible. However, Morris indicated in her resignation letter that she was resigning because the \u201cVA\u2019s leadership intends to take the EHR modernization effort in a different direction than we were headed.\u201d

Also See<\/b>: Morris resignation could signal trouble with VA EHR plans<\/a>

The VA announced that John Windom has been appointed acting CHIO of the Office of EHR Modernization to replace Morris.

\u201cWe are pleased that John Windom will now take over as Acting CHIO for OEHRM,\u201d said VA Secretary Wilkie in a written statement. \u201cJohn is a recently retired Navy captain who played a key leadership role in the Pentagon\u2019s electronic health record modernization efforts, and in leading VA\u2019s negotiations with Cerner over the last year.\u201d

Nonetheless, in his letter to Wilkie, Banks urged him to identify a permanent CHIO immediately who \u201cpossesses the requisite medical and technical knowledge and demonstrates managerial competency for such a large EHR transition.\u201d In addition, Banks urged the VA secretary to pick a CMO from within the Veterans Health Administration, insisting that \u201cit is crucial that this person commands the respect of the VHA workforce, as he or she must represent its views in the extremely sensitive task of redesigning clinical processes.\u201d

Further, Banks requested that Wilkie provide the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization with a detailed organizational chart for the VA Office of EHR Modernization, listing each federal position and full-time contractor while \u201cindicating the name of each position\u2019s incumbent or its vacant status\u201d by September 7.

Last month, the House Committee on Veterans\u2019 Affairs formally approved the creation of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization\u2014with Banks as its chairman\u2014to provide oversight of the VA\u2019s rollout of the Cerner Millennium platform.

\u201cIt would be a tragedy for the program to be undermined by personality conflicts and bureaucratic power struggles before it even begins in earnest,\u201d Banks told Wilkie. \u201cI am dedicated to pursuing a constructive oversight agenda to encourage VA to make the right decisions, but any engagement is difficult without stable leadership.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Congressman voices concerns about VA Office of EHR Modernization

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