Embracing the Future: Sioux Falls VA's Journey to the Federal Electronic Health Record
By Jason Vollmer, Federal electronic health record (FEHR) Deployment Lead
The Sioux Falls VA is embarking on its most significant transformation in over three decades as it transitions to the new Federal Electronic Health Record, a system poised to strengthen care, unify records, and shape the future of Veteran healthcare.
In the 1980s, the VA implemented a self-developed electronic medical record known as VistA. It was a nationwide integrated electronic medical record system, further developed in the 1990s with a graphical user interface known as CPRS. This system has been continually improved, but now, more than 30 years later, the VA has outgrown its capabilities. Consequently, the VA is upgrading to a new system called the Federal Electronic Health Record (FEHR), which will communicate with Department of Defense medical records and offer new capabilities.
The Sioux Falls VA is in the midst of preparing for FEHR, with a go-live date of May 15, 2027. This significant change to VA healthcare, our biggest in over three decades, brings considerable challenges. It requires an examination of how we conduct business and how we must change to meet the requirements of foundational systematic improvement. Successfully changing the very fabric of our organization's operations is a complex problem that touches every part of the healthcare we provide, and the solutions will impact all aspects of our services.
Studies on organizational behavior and leadership tell us that people make the difference. Our staff, who are our greatest asset, allow us to take care of our Veterans. It is the staff who are doing the actual work to enable this major change, and they are the key to our success. Our staff are fully committed and motivated to accomplish this challenge with minimal disruption in patient care and to position Veteran health care for success for another three decades. Please join us in this change with patience as we work through it and celebrate with us when we are done.
The Sioux Falls VA Health Care System has locations in Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Dakota Dunes, Watertown, and Wagner, South Dakota, as well as Spirit Lake, Iowa. It is fully accredited by The Joint Commission and is a leader within the VA system and the regional area, with high scores in clinical performance and customer trust, as well as a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.