H.R. 592: Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization Improvement Act

This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from commencing a program activity (i.e., an activity under the Electronic Health Record Modernization Program) at a facility of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) until the VA certifies to Congress that the electronic health record system has met specified improvement objectives at each facility where the system is being utilized as of the date of the enactment of this bill.

The VA is prohibited from newly implementing the electronic health record system at a VHA facility until the director of the facility, chief of staff of the facility, and the director of the appropriate Veterans Integrated Services Network certify to Congress that (1) the proposed build and configuration of the system are accurate and complete; (2) the staff and infrastructure of the facility are adequately prepared to receive the system; and (3) the implementation will not significantly affect patient safety, patient wait-times for medical care, or health care quality.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.