VA Accelerates Electronic Health Record Rollout, 13 Facilities to Go Live in 2026

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced a major acceleration of its Electronic Health Record (EHR) modernization project, with 13 medical facilities set to go live with the Federal EHR system in 2026. This expansion follows significant improvements to the EHR system, leading to increased veteran trust and system performance at existing sites.

The facilities slated for the 2026 rollout include:

Michigan: Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Detroit, and Saginaw.
Ohio: Cincinnati, Chillicothe, Dayton, and Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC.
Kentucky: Cincinnati VAMC-Fort Thomas.
Indiana: Fort Wayne, Marion, and Indianapolis (Richard L. Roudebush VAMC).
Alaska: Anchorage (Alaska VA Healthcare System).

This decision marks a significant step forward in the VA’s commitment to providing seamless and integrated healthcare for veterans. The VA's Deputy Secretary, Tanya Bradsher, stated, "We paused deployments of the EHR for more than a year and a half to listen to veterans and clinicians, understand the issues, and make improvements to the system. As a result of those efforts, veteran trust and system performance have improved across the board. Now, we’re ready to begin planning for new deployments in 2026 — while continuing to improve at all existing sites."

The VA’s decision to resume and accelerate deployment is based on substantial improvements made to the EHR system during a pause initiated in April 2023. These improvements included:

Increased Veteran Trust: Veteran outpatient trust scores have risen significantly at existing EHR sites. Notably, Columbus, Ohio, saw a near 12% increase, reaching 93% trust, while other sites like Walla Walla and Mann-Grandstaff, Washington, along with Roseburg and White City, Oregon, also experienced significant gains. Even the recently launched North Chicago, Illinois, site showed improved veteran confidence. These increases demonstrate a positive trend in veteran satisfaction as the VA continues to refine and enhance the new system.
Reduced Outages: The system has experienced a dramatic decrease in outages, with near-perfect uptime in recent months.
Minimized Clinician Interruptions: Clinicians are experiencing fewer interruptions, leading to more efficient patient care. The average user experiences almost no freezes or delays each day.
Enhanced Clinician Satisfaction: Staff satisfaction with the EHR has consistently increased as seen in employee surveys with the phrases “the EHR is available when I need it” and “this EHR enables me to deliver high-quality care.”

Why is the Veteran Affairs Medical Record System Changing?

VA Secretary Doug Collins emphasized the importance of this modernization, stating, "America’s veterans deserve a medical records system that’s integrated across all VA and DOD components, and that is exactly what we will deliver. We can and will move faster on this important priority. But we’re going to listen to our doctors, nurses and vendor partners along the way in order to ensure patient safety, quality, and customer service." In order to increase the speed and efficiency of the rollout, the VA is utilizing a market-based approach to site selection.

The Federal EHR system is the same system used by the Department of Defense, ensuring seamless data exchange and improved care coordination for veterans. The VA aims to complete the EHR deployment at all its medical facilities as early as 2031. They also plan to continue listening to feedback from veterans and staff to ensure the continued improvement of the EHR system.

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