Sen. Jon Tester ( D- MT ) and Rep. Matt Rosendale ( R- MT ) are pushing a healthcare bill that could undermine one of former President Donald Trump’s signature Veterans Affairs (VA ) reforms.
Although the VA has the largest medical technique in the nation, its outdated document management system has hampered its health record system. Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the VA moved to update , soldiers ‘ health data to be easily transferred from the Defense Department to the VA. The shift has been , cited , frequentlyby the Trump presidency as one of the vital measures the 45th president carried out for America’s soldiers.
In order to upgrade the health treatment IT structure and provide flawless care to veterans transitioning from military assistance to senior status, Acting Secretary Robert Wilkie signed a contract with Cerner, which is now owned by Oracle.
In the speech announcing the deal, Wilkie stated,” President Trump has made it very clear to me that he wants this deal to perform correctly by both soldiers and citizens, and I can tell without a doubt that it does.”
He added,” In proportion, signing this contract now is an enormous get for our government’s Veterans. It establishes a cutting-edge IT program that will provide the best possible healthcare for decades to come.  , That’s precisely what our government’s soldiers deserve”.
President Donald Trump is presented with a cover by World War II veterans, seated from left, Sidney Walton, Allen Jones, Paul Kriner, and Floyd Wigfield, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 11, 2019. ( Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP )
Despite the improvements being made to the VA’s electronic health record method, anti-Trump lawmakers are pushing policy that could destroy Trump’s tradition that helped America’s soldiers.
House and Senate Veterans Committee leaders, including Jon Tester, chairman of the Senate Veterans ‘ Affairs Committee, and other leaders, released H. R. 8371, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvements Act, which aims to improve the delivery of healthcare to veterans and their families.
Rep. Matt Rosendale ( R- MT ), the chairman of the House Committee on Veterans ‘ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, is also pushing the policy, which could destroy Trump’s shift to enhance the VA health history program. He has even criticised Oracle’s efforts to transition the log structure.
Tester generally opposed Trump’s management and policies, including saying that Trump’s reported prejudice was dividing the country.
Rosendale, a Republican, refused to take a telephone contact from Trump during the Speakership battle at the beginning of this parliamentary term. In an a now- infamous image, Rosendale can be seen giving Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ( R- GA ) the” Heisman” as she tries to pass the phone to him and snubbing Trump. Rosendale had much refrained from backing Trump.
On the final moments of a contentious debate on the fourth day of the House election held at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 7, 2023, Matt Rosendale (R-MT ) ( L ) declines to speak with former president Donald Trump on a phone that Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA ) gave him. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty )
Greene afterward said that Rosendale” may become trusted” since he turned his back on Trump, merely to “beg” for his support when he wanted to obtain reelected.
The proposed legislation contains concerns that could undermine Trump’s efforts to modernize electronic records at the VA despite its intended goal of helping veterans. The EHRM RESET Act, which contains several alarming provisions that could cause the EHRM, or the electronic health record modernization, to take longer than two years, which could waste the billions of dollars and years of effort put forth to improve the record management system.
The Department of Defense ( DOD ) is already using the same method to modernize electronic health records, which demonstrates how effective it is and how to use it successfully to modernize the VA’s health records.
Some of the concerning programs of Title V of the legislation:
- A new health information technology program is created by Section 511.
- The VA already has three significant technology modernization initiatives in progress.
- Section 522 establishes two sets of certifications that must be completed before the reset can proceed.
- The certification structure favors a patchwork system approach and customization, which contributed to the lack of interoperability with VistA, the previous record system.
- The VA Secretary no longer has the authority to make decisions for the Department, but this certification system delegates it to more than 150 site directors.
- The implementation of the EHRM reset is already determined by the Fiscal 2024 Military Construction appropriations bill’s more strategic approach to setting metrics.
- The EHRM program would be forced to return to VistA, the previous record program, under Section 523, which would create a two-year cliff.
In essence, the EHRM program is in jeopardy despite progress being made to make the VA’s process better.
In April, VA Secretary Denis McDonough praised the Department’s rollout of the EHR system as” successful” and said the “feedback was very positive”.
At a House Appropriations hearing, McDonough stated,” One measure of success there is the speed with which we’ve returned to a higher level of pre-deployment appointments for veterans.”  ,” So, overall, that deployment has been on the high level of expectations”.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA ) may decide whether to allow this legislation to continue with these contentious provisions despite the number of potentially controversial provisions that could undermine Trump’s legacy in terms of veterans affairs. Legislators for Veterans Affairs are pressuring the Speaker to pass the legislation just before Memorial Day.
