Nik Rajkovic / news@whmi.com

Congressman Tom Barrett on Wednesday met with leaders of the Aleda E. Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Saginaw to review the hospital’s preparation for the new Electronic Health Record Modernization rollout this spring.

Barrett, who chairs the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, is leading oversight to ensure a smooth transition that does not disrupt care for veterans.

All four VA hospitals in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula - Saginaw, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Battle Creek - will go live with EHRM on April 11.

“The goal of the VA’s new Electronic Health Record system is to streamline and improve health care for veterans while reducing burdens on the doctors and nurses who provide it. Unfortunately, we know from previous rollouts that a bumpy transition can cause frustrating delays and unacceptable disruptions instead,” said Barrett.

“We can’t let that happen in Michigan’s VA hospitals. I’m grateful to Director Tony Colon and the team at the Saginaw VA for taking this transition seriously and filling me in on the steps they are taking to guarantee a smooth rollout. As we approach the go-live date, I’ll continue conducting the necessary oversight to ensure the VA delivers for our veterans.”

Joined by Majority staff from the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Barrett met with Tony Colon, the director of the Lutz VA Medical Center, along with other hospital officials, medical professionals, and employees. They updated Barrett about the training hospital staff have taken ahead of the EHRM rollout, the plan for switching the system overnight, and additional steps the hospital is taking to prepare for a smooth transition.

The VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program was established by Congress when it passed the VA MISSION Act in 2018. The program is implementing a new EHR system that will be shared by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. This new digital system will enable health records to follow each service member from his or her time on active duty into retirement when the VA takes over handling care.

According to Barrett's office, the VA implemented EHRM at several hospitals across the country, but the earlier transitions were fraught with technical issues that made it difficult for VA doctors and nurses to access veterans’ up-to-date records when providing care.

Barrett has led multiple hearings engage with top VA officials about the transition and mitigate any potential points of failure.

Last week, in the full House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Barrett discussed EHRM with VA Secretary Doug Collins and Acting COO of the Veterans Health Administration Gregory Goins.