Press Releases
On the Ground: Tech Subcommittee Chairman Tom Barrett Leads Key Oversight Trip to Michigan VA Facilities Ahead of New Electronic Health Record System Rollout
Washington,
February 23, 2026
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Kathleen McCarthy
Tags:
Technology Modernization
In case you missed it, last week Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.), the Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, toured and met with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) leadership, doctors, and nurses at both the Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center in Saginaw, Michigan and the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan to review both hospital’s preparation for the Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) rollout at four Michigan facilities in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula — Saginaw, Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Battle Creek — this spring. As Technology Modernization Chairman Barrett stated last week in Michigan, “The goal of the VA’s new Electronic Health Record system is to streamline and improve health care for veterans while reducing burdens on the doctors and nurses who provide it. Unfortunately, we know from previous rollouts that a bumpy transition can cause frustrating delays and unacceptable disruptions instead,” said Rep. Barrett. “We can’t let that happen in Michigan’s VA hospitals. I’m grateful to Director Tony Colon and the team at the Saginaw VA for taking this transition seriously and filling me in on the steps they are taking to guarantee a smooth rollout,” Rep. Barrett continued. “I also appreciated hearing directly from Dr. Raghu Matta and the leadership team at the Detroit VA about their preparations to ensure the transition goes smoothly for our veterans. I look forward to our continued partnership before, during, and after the initial rollout. As we approach the go-live date, I’ll continue conducting the necessary oversight to ensure the VA delivers for our veterans.”
Background: VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program is implementing a historic new EHR system that will be shared by the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of War. This new digital system seeks to enable health records to follow each servicemember from his or her time on active-duty into retirement when the VA takes over handling care.
In recent years, VA implemented EHRM at several VA hospitals across the country, but the earlier transitions were fraught with technical issues that made it difficult for VA doctors and nurses to access veterans’ up-to-date records when providing care.
Through his role as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization, which has oversight jurisdiction of the ongoing EHRM rollout, Rep. Barrett has led multiple hearings to engage with top VA officials about the transition and mitigate any potential points of failure. To read more about the EHRM program and Chairman Barrett’s oversight, click here. |
