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Research & EHR Synergy

EHR Modernization and Implications for Research

by James Breeling, MD; Maria Souden, MSI, PhD
Seminar date: 10/28/2020
Seminar time: 12:00pm-1:00pm
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Description: In order to modernize and unify our electronic health record (EHR) system, VA has begun the process of transitioning from the current VistA/CPRS to Cerner Corporation’s commercial, off the shelf solution. Implementing Cerner Millennium will create a single national instance of the EHR that is shared with the Department of Defense (DoD), enhancing interoperability across VA medical centers and healthcare continuity over the lifetime of the Veteran. For the VA research enterprise, Millennium’s PowerTrials solution will offer new opportunities for integration with the EHR and challenges in adapting to a new approach for interacting with patient records and clinical workflows. The EHR is also the source of one of VA’s greatest research assets – a comprehensive longitudinal warehouse of clinical and administrative data for over 22 million Veterans. The EHR transition stands to significantly impact the availability and utility of VA’s national data due to differences in the EHR data structures and models, and the need to syndicate VA data collected in the Cerner system back to the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) and understand its meaning and utility vis a vis the legacy data, which will continue to be collected from non-transitioned sites for the next 10 years as the rollout proceeds.
Drs. Souden and Breeling will provide an overview of EHRM activities and the Office of EHR Modernization (OEHRM) Research Workgroup efforts to address Research requirements for using the EHR system and the data it captures. They will specifically highlight issues related to accessing and using Millennium-generated data, resources for learning about the new data, transition risks, and their mitigation. Participants will leave the session with a better understanding of the EHRM’s potential impacts on research projects, ideas regarding what they can do now to prepare, and resources for up-to-date information on the transition.
This seminar is suitable for staff of all levels engaged in VA Research and Quality Improvement projects.
Research & EHRM Background
In order to modernize and unify our electronic health record (EHR) system, VA has begun the process of transitioning from the current VistA/CPRS to Cerner Corporation’s commercial, off the shelf solution. Implementing Cerner Millennium will create a single national instance of the EHR that is shared with the Department of Defense (DoD), enhancing interoperability across VA medical centers and healthcare continuity over the lifetime of the Veteran.
For the VA research enterprise, Millennium’s PowerTrials solution will offer new opportunities for integration with the EHR and challenges in adapting to a new approach for interacting with patient records and clinical workflows.
The EHR is also the source of one of VA’s greatest research assets – a comprehensive longitudinal warehouse of clinical and administrative data for over 22 million Veterans. The EHR transition stands to significantly impact the availability and utility of VA’s national data due to differences in the EHR data structures and models, and the need to syndicate VA data collected in the Cerner system back to the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) and understand its meaning and utility vis a vis the legacy data, which will continue to be collected from non-transitioned sites for the next 10 years as the rollout proceeds.


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