System outage takes Cerner EHR offline at VA hospitals

The Department of Veterans Affairs experienced an IT system outage that resulted in the new Cerner electronic health record system being taken offline. The issue potentially affected the records of over 200 veterans, but there were no known patient safety issues. The VA directed staff to revert to pen-and-paper procedures until the system was restored. The incident is the latest setback for the EHR modernization effort at the VA. Cerner and VA representatives are working together to address the concerns.