Wasserman Schultz Joint Statement on VA Electronic Health Records Announcement



Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), the Ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the Ranking Democrat on the House Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MCVA) Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following joint statement after Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin’s announcement that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would adopt the same electronic health records system as the Department of Defense:

“We are truly encouraged by Secretary Shulkin’s decision to move forward with a system that allows patient health data to reside in a single system, and brings our service members and veterans closer to uninterrupted care between the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. In fact, this decision to adopt DoD’s records system is long overdue. The federal government has expended valuable time and resources to ensure full interoperability and greater coordination between the VA and DoD, and we are pleased there is finally a path forward.

We are hopeful the Secretary’s decision will ultimately speed up care for our veterans. As the VA begins this process, we will continue to closely monitor and work with Secretary Shulkin on acquiring this next-generation record system in a cost efficient manner. Today’s announcement is an encouraging step toward ensuring our veterans’ health records can be easily shared with doctors and nurses throughout the VA Healthcare system.”

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