Chairman Mrvan, Takano Announce Committee Hearing on VA’s EHRM Progress Following IG Reports

Washington, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization Chairman Frank J. Mrvan (D-Ind.) and Full Committee Chairman Mark Takano (D-Calif.) released the following statements after the release of two Inspector General reports on VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) Program entitled “Unreliable Information Technology Infrastructure Cost Estimates for the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program” and “Training Deficiencies with VA’s New Electronic Health Record System at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington.” The pair also announced an upcoming Subcommittee hearing diving into VA’s EHRM progress and these reports on July 21, 2021, and have invited Secretary McDonough to attend. 

“Based on these reports and my previous conversations with VA, I continue to have serious concerns about the management of the EHRM program--including the lack of clarity around life-cycle costs, failures in staff training, and inadequate change management practices,” said Chairman Mrvan. “Our Subcommittee hearing later this month will aim to better understand the current status of the project, the changes that must be made, and VA’s plan to move forward to ensure that all veterans can access the care they need.  We look forward to Secretary McDonough’s response and testimony on these significant issues.” 

“It is clear from these reports that the cost estimate for VA’s EHRM project was vastly underestimated by the previous administration and that there are significant failures with the current staff training program,” said Chairman Takano. “I appreciate the work of the Inspector General in identifying these issues, and I’m grateful that VA has acknowledged them and plans to offer our Committee greater transparency. I echo the concerns from Subcommittee Chairman Mrvan and look forward to hearing from Secretary McDonough at our upcoming hearing. I also want to thank the dedicated frontline personnel at the Mann-Grandstaff Medical Center who have continued to ensure veterans get the best possible care while the department carries out a major IT transformation.”

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