The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has extended its EHR contract with Oracle Health for one month while negotiations for a new deal continue.
The new VA EHR has been beset with problems since it began rolling out in 2020, leading to care disruptions and even being tied to patient deaths. The agency said it "remains committed to holding Oracle Health accountable" while it works out a new contract.
"The VA medical centers that are using the Oracle Health electronic health record have been turned upside down," wrote U.S. Reps. Mike Bost, R-Ill., chair of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., chair of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, in a joint May 22 statement. "Congress must do our part, on behalf of the taxpayers and veterans VA serves, to continue to hold Oracle and VA accountable to get this right."
They pointed to a 2022 analysis that found the project's costs could surpass $50 billion, more than triple its original budget.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently negotiated the EHR RESET Act of 2024, which would outline the program's objectives, boost oversight on care quality and patient safety, and require facilities using the EHR to show they are back to normal operating standards.
Oracle Health declined to comment to Becker's.