Second District Congressperson Bruce Poliquin is warning Veterans Administration Officials and their contractors that they need to fix their electronic medical records system and be held accountable.
“Your job, and you know this better than I do, is to deliver a project that works, on budget and early,” says Poliquin. “And I am going to be one member on the committee that holds you accountable.”
The VA is plagued by the same problems found in many hospitals. Electronic medical records systems can’t exchange health information, which prevents doctors from treating veterans who need help.
Poliquin says he will be among those monitoring a new VA contractor who will be paid $1 billion per year over the next decade to develop a system that will allow medical records to be exchanged between the VA and other hospitals and providers. Poliquin says too many veterans have been hurt because one computer couldn’t communicate with another.
