EHR Transition FAQs
As part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ commitment to transparency and patient safety, we are proactively contacting Veterans to make sure their care was not impacted by challenges with our new electronic health record system at the Jonathan M. Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center.
Our staff is working to quickly identify each patient who may have been affected and provide any needed follow-up care. As a Veteran, you may receive a letter asking you to check to make sure your:
- Prescribed medications are refilled and correct
- Appointments and referrals are scheduled
- Recommended tests are completed, and that you are notified of the test results
Our staff cares deeply about your health, and we want to continue to partner with you for your health and wellbeing. Thank you for your understanding as we work quickly to ensure that you receive the best possible medical care.
Below are some answers to common questions about to the Oracle-Cerner electronic health record implementation:
Where do I get more information about what has happened and how do I know if it has impacted me? What do I do if I feel my care has been delayed?
Letters are being mailed to all patients who may have been affected by recent issues. The purpose of the letter is to provide information about the health record transition and to make sure Veterans with concerns have a way to contact a VA representative.
- If you received this letter and you do not have any concerns, then there is no need to respond.
- If you received this letter and you have concerns related to the processing of medical orders for labs, imaging, medications, medication renewals, prosthetics, medical supplies, pathology results, future follow-up appointments, or consultations, we ask that you contact us through the avenues noted in the letter you receive or go to https://ask.va.gov/. When you contact us, we'll start the process of reviewing your records and confirm if everything is up to date.
I don't have a concern. Do I need to do anything?
If you do not have any concerns, then there is no need to respond. We do ask that you are vigilant about making sure your prescribed medications are refilled, your appointments and referrals get scheduled, your recommended tests are completed, and that you are notified of the results of all tests.
Do I need to schedule an appointment with my provider?
We recommend you keep an updated medication list, appointment list, referral list, and recommended testing list, and bring pill bottles to your appointments. Your medication list can be provided by a provider when you are seen at an appointment, or a list can be mailed to you with your permission. If you see providers outside VA, it is a good practice to bring copies of medications prescribed, appointment summaries, lab, imaging, and pathology results to your VA provider.
How can I partner with my VA health care team?
We recommend you keep an updated medication list, appointment list, referral list, and recommended testing list, and bring pill bottles to your appointments. Your medication list can be provided by a provider when you are seen at an appointment, or a list can be mailed to you with your permission. If you see providers outside VA, it is a good practice to bring copies of medications prescribed, appointment summaries, lab, imaging and pathology results to your VA provider.
How can I get a list of my current medications to make sure they are up to date?
You can view a list of medications in the My VA Health patient portal under the pharmacy tab:
https://patientportal.myhealth.va.gov/. Compare the list with the pill bottles you have at home and please reach out if you have questions or find discrepancies.
How do I get a list of my upcoming appointments?
You can access upcoming appointments via the My VA Health patient portal at
https://patientportal.myhealth.va.gov/.
How can I make sure I have received all of my prior test results (lab, imaging, etc.)?
This information is available in the My VA Health patient portal. Lab results do not populate immediately and can take some time to display. If you do not have access to a test result, contact your provider via the My VA Health patient portal (https://patientportal.myhealth.va.gov/), or reach out through AskVA (https://ask.va.gov/)
Is the information on my portal accurate? What do I do if I notice inaccuracies?
If you notice inaccuracies in the My VA Health patient portal, please reach out through AskVA (https://ask.va.gov/) so that we can review your records.