VA Completes 2026 EHR Rollout, Plans 26 Hospital Deployments in 2027

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) completed its 2026 deployment plan for the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR), bringing the system to 13 hospitals this year. The final go-lives took place Oct. 24 at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Alaska VA Healthcare System in Anchorage, along with 16 associated standalone clinics across Ohio and Alaska. VA said the latest deployments cover more than 163,000 veterans and 7,800 facility staff. Nationwide, more than 780,000 veterans and 42,000 VA clinicians and staff now use the system, according to the department.

The rollout is a major schedule milestone for a modernization effort that has faced technical and usability problems, cost overruns, and patient-safety concerns. VA initially signed a **$10 billion contract with Cerner in May 2018** to replace its legacy Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture, or VistA. **Oracle acquired Cerner in 2022**, and the EHR business was rebranded as Oracle Health. After the first site went live in 2020, VA paused most deployments in April 2023 to address implementation issues. The department later resumed deployments, and VA’s 2026 schedule expanded beyond the four Michigan facilities identified in the December 2024 restart plan.

VA attributes the faster pace to fixing hundreds of issues at the six original sites, standardizing the system, consolidating decision-making under a single council accountable to senior leadership, and adding deployment staff. The department said local customization had made earlier implementations more complicated. VA has also introduced tools to help staff through the transition, including VA ChatEHR, which it described as providing guidance based on approved workflows, policies, and training materials—not access to veterans’ health records or clinical decision support. For industry, the shift toward common configurations and centralized decisions may shape requirements for implementation, integration, training, change management, and operational support.

VA plans to deploy the system at **26 hospitals in 2027**, with the first four sites scheduled for January in Wisconsin and Michigan, and aims to bring EHR to every VA facility by 2031. Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence said, “The success we saw this year lays the groundwork for deployments in 26 hospitals in 2027, and meeting our goal of ensuring EHR is in every VA facility by 2031.” The expanding schedule comes as VA and Oracle have reportedly extended the existing contract with an additional **$17 billion ceiling** and three one-year option periods. This is a continuing program opportunity, not evidence of a new solicitation. The reported contract action has drawn bipartisan attention: members of the **House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs** raised concerns, and the committee voted 19-0 on a motion to subpoena Oracle leadership. Contractors should therefore assess both the likely support needs of the deployment schedule and the heightened importance of measurable performance, safety, cost control, and delivery evidence.

• 2026 milestone: VA completed deployments at 13 hospitals, including Cleveland and Anchorage, and 16 associated clinics in Ohio and Alaska.
• Latest rollout reach: The Cleveland and Anchorage deployments cover more than 163,000 veterans and 7,800 staff; VA reports more than 780,000 veterans and 42,000 clinicians and staff using the system nationwide.
• 2027 pipeline: VA plans deployments at 26 hospitals, beginning in January at four facilities: Clement J. Zablocki Medical Center in Milwaukee; Tomah Medical Center in Tomah, Wisconsin; William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in Madison; and Oscar G. Johnson Medical Facility in Iron Mountain, Michigan.
• Long-term target: VA aims to have the Federal EHR in every VA facility by 2031, sustaining demand for deployment, integration, training, and operational support.
• Contract context: VA originally awarded Cerner a $10 billion contract in May 2018; Oracle acquired Cerner in 2022 and now performs the work as Oracle Health.
• Reported contract extension: The existing VA–Oracle arrangement reportedly received an additional $17 billion ceiling and three one-year options; the news does not identify a new competition or solicitation.
• Implementation approach: VA credits standardized configurations, a single senior-accountable decision council, remediation at six original sites, and additional deployment staff for the increased pace.
• Potential subcontracting areas: Firms may evaluate capabilities in systems integration, deployment planning, data migration, training, change management, site readiness, and ongoing support, while confirming any opportunities through official procurement channels.
• Oversight and execution risk: Bipartisan congressional scrutiny keeps cost, schedule, usability, and patient safety in focus; contractors should be prepared to demonstrate measurable results and disciplined performance.
• Intended user benefits: VA says the system is designed to improve sharing of military and private-sector health information, continuity of care, access to prior test results, and coordination across facilities.