Even amid the chaos of sweeping contract terminations across the government, there’s an easy place for the Department of Veterans Affairs to focus its efforts: the electronic health record (EHR) system.
President Trump, in partnership with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is laser-focused on making the federal government as streamlined and efficient as possible. DOGE is scrutinizing large-scale government contracts and identifying waste, fraud and abuse, and the VA should be no exception.
Oracle’s federal EHR experienced a nationwide outage recently that impacted six VA medical centers, 26 community clinics and other remote VA sites. Any disruption to the continuity of care for veterans is unacceptable, and this event further underscores the need for DOGE to conduct a detailed review of Oracle’s contract.
In 2018, the VA signed a $10 billion deal to transition its existing EHR system to be in line with the Department of Defense’s EHR system used for service members. The contract later grew to $16 billion, with estimates projecting it could cost as much as $50 billion over its lifespan.
The rollout was a disaster. In a period of four years, the EHR product experienced 826 “major performance incidents,” which led to patient harm and even patient deaths. One such troubling story includes a veteran contemplating suicide, whose referral was lost, forcing the veteran to call a crisis hotline in desperation.
Confusion and uncertainty at the VA
The system has caused massive confusion and uncertainty for providers and patients alike. Fewer than 1 in 5 doctors, nurses and VA health employees say the system enables them to provide high-quality care to U.S. veterans, according to an internal VA report. Even further, major technical problems and continued concerns over patient safety forced a pause in the program in 2023. As a result, the existing EHR program has come under intense scrutiny from lawmakers.
But now the contract has been extended and the program is set to resume with deployments of the system starting this year, despite the fact that a recent audit found “action is still needed to mitigate risks to veterans in the VA’s care.”
DOGE needs to take a hard look
DOGE officials need to determine whether the contract extension is the best use of taxpayer dollars and whether Oracle has fixed the problems to ensure no future harm to our veterans.
Prioritizing an effective EHR system is central to protecting veterans and ensuring they receive the care they have earned. But too many veterans have already suffered because of this disastrous rollout. The very men and women who put their lives on the line should never have to fight another battle just to get the care they were promised. Every delay, every technical failure, every lost record is not just a bureaucratic mistake — it is a betrayal of our nation’s heroes.
VA Secretary Doug Collins takes the issues of veterans’ healthcare seriously. Implementing permanent, lasting changes to the electronic health records system to ensure its success is a worthwhile starting point. Our veterans deserve the absolute best—anything less is unacceptable.
