VA advances rollout of new electronic health record system at medical facilities in southwest Oregon

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs continued launching its new electronic health record (EHR) on June 11, this time at two medical facilities in southwest Oregon: the Roseburg VA Health Care System and the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics (SORCC).

More than 100,000 Veterans in the region will benefit from the added capability of the new system, marking the fourth rollout in VA’s modernization effort to replace the more than 30-year-old software that tracks and stores patient information with a single system shared with the Department of Defense (DoD).

“This combined rollout gives us the momentum we need to fulfill our pledge to give Veterans world-class health care that is safe, effective and timely,” said Dr. Terry Adirim, program executive director of VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office. “This is an important step toward equipping our VA providers with the modern tools they need to deliver on that promise.”

The new EHR system connects providers at VA medical centers in Roseburg and White City, Oregon, as well as clinics in Brookings, Eugene, Downtown Eugene, Grants Pass, Klamath Falls and North Bend.

VA is using lessons learned from the initial sites that deployed the new EHR to identify areas for changes, such as enriched staff training, and further hone processes to benefit future site deployments. Based on objective measures and feedback from leadership, the most recent deployment sites in Walla Walla, Washington, and Columbus, Ohio, are effectively using the system and making improvements in their delivery of care.

By adopting a common modern EHR system, VA health care providers will gain access to a Veteran’s entire medical record from time of enlistment through Veteran status. Leaders from the facilities going live with the new EHR said they look forward to experiencing how the modernized system will standardize how VA delivers care.

“Our providers are excited to begin using a system that will give them a more holistic and accurate picture of their patients, so they can provide the best and safest care possible,” said Keith M. Allen, medical center director for the Roseburg VA Health Care System.

David Holt, director for the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics agreed.

“We’ve been training, we are ready and we feel fortunate to be building on the lessons learned that VA has carried forward with each new site that launches,” Holt said. “We look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with the next VA facilities scheduled to receive the new EHR.”

VA’s next EHR implementation is scheduled for June 25 at Boise VA Medical Center in Boise, Idaho.

For more information about how VA is transforming health care for Veterans, visit VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization program.

Originally published by Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs