VA Launches New Federal Health Record System

0:00It's March 26. I'm Cory with the story, and this is Anchorage News today, your AI-powered local news. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is launching a new federal electronic health record system to handle veterans' medical files. Anchorage will be among the first to switch over on October 24th, right alongside Cleveland. Earlier sites in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana kick off the rollout this April. VA Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence stopped by Anchorage in March to meet with staff at the local VA health care campus and go over the plans. Teams there talk through hurdles and what to expect from the switch. Right now, training is in full swing, helping everyone adjust to new workflows and how their daily tasks will shift. Providers will gain instant access to a patient's full history, no matter the location, cutting down on repeat explanations and letting doctors focus. One care, a boost speed, safety, and standardization across the board. The system also links up with the Defense Department for smoother handoffs from active duty.

1:03Full nationwide rollout hits 13 sites in 2026, 26 more in 2027, and wraps up by 2031 at a cost of about $37 billion.