SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – On Thursday, officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs visited the regional medical center in Sioux Falls. The trip gave Deputy Secretary Paul Lawrence the chance to hear how the VA in Sioux Falls is advancing its health record systems.
After the original move to digitization was delayed during Trump’s first term, launches at VA sites in Ohio and Michigan have given the VA in Sioux Falls confidence that the Federal Electronic Health Record System will make life easier for veterans who may need services out of state.
This move into the 21st century is a game-changer from top to bottom. As the Department of Veterans Affairs said, it’s long overdue.
“The old system, information doesn’t transfer (across different VA sites), and we won’t have any information about you. So, we’re going to have to pick up the phone and call somebody and say, ‘Can you go find their records and tell me something about them so we can help them. Now, they’ll all go on the computer, see the same information providers in Sioux Falls will see, so it’s really 21st information type stuff,” Paul Lawrence, Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary, said.
Amidst all of the frustrations with USPS and slow deliveries for appointment notices, this new system should provide relief for some of those issues.
“Some of the feedback is that it’s easier to message your provider, it’s easier to make a prescription, and information travels more seamlessly,” Lawrence said.
Notices will still be made by phone and by mail.
“We will always be doing all of the above to make sure veterans know what is available to them at the VA,” Lawrence said.
Sioux Falls VA executive director Sarah Ackert said behind-the-scenes work has already kicked off for its doctors, nurses, and other medical providers, adding that the transition on the day of the launch will be seamless.
“As we learn from other sites as they go live, the knowledge sharing and how to make sure we’re as prepared as we can be will continue to improve,” Ackert said.
This new system is expected to go live in May of 2027.
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