Southwest Montana News

Today, Chairman Matt Rosendale (MT-02) of the House of Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Technology Modernization highlighted Oracle Cerner's lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill. He accused the company of prioritizing political influence over addressing issues with their software, which has been causing problems for veterans trying to access care. A recent article referencing Oracle Cerner’s financial issues further underscored these concerns.

“Oracle Cerner’s EHR system at VA medical centers has been a disaster for patient safety and has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars,” said Rep. Rosendale. “Instead of spending money buying off politicians, it’s time Oracle Cerner focus on fixing their software so our nation’s heroes can receive the care they have earned!”

In February, Chairman Rosendale held a hearing for the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, during which he shed light on Oracle Cerner's attempts to lobby politicians instead of improving their software. On November 15, 2023, he hosted a Technology Modernization Subcommittee hearing titled “Electronic Health Record Modernization Deep Dive: System Uptime.”

On April 21, 2023, in response to Rep. Rosendale’s continuous efforts on this issue, the VA decided to extend its pause implementing the Oracle Cerner electronic health record (EHR) at additional VA medical centers. On March 7, 2023, Chairman Rosendale hosted another Technology Modernization Subcommittee hearing titled “Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture.”

On January 31, 2023, Congressman Rosendale introduced the VA Electronic Health Record Modernization Termination Act. This legislation proposes to gradually wind down the Oracle Cerner contract by preventing the Secretary from exercising any options on Oracle Cerner’s contract. It also seeks to abolish the Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office and transfer remaining activities to the Veterans Health Administration or Office of Information and Technology. The act would revert all medical centers using the Oracle Cerner EHR to VA’s existing EHR platform: the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture.