While the system is only in use at Mann-Grandstaff and its affiliated clinics, the outage also affected a hospital in Columbus, Ohio, where the system is set to be launched at the end of April. It also is scheduled to go into effect at the VA hospital in Walla Walla in Washington at the end of March and at sites in Oregon and Idaho in June; Alaska in July; and several facilities in the Puget Sound region in August.

Staff members have reported that some patient records are still unviewable, and lawmakers in the Washington House and Senate are demanding answers on what caused the issue. In a statement, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R.-Spokane) called the shutdown “another event in a series of challenges that the new electronic health record has created for staff and veterans at the facility.”

She has called for the system’s end-of-March launch at the VA hospital in Walla Walla to be delayed “if their ability to deliver the high-quality care our veterans deserve becomes uncertain at any point” and until the issues can be resolved. She plans to speak with VA Secretary Denis McDonough about the ongoing issues.

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