Where do you stand?

house Bill H.R. 1590

$50 Million Cash Prize for Inventing an Electronic Health Record System for Vets

Argument in favor

Veterans deserve to collect their benefits in a timely manner and outsourcing for private sector talent to create a better health record system is just the first step.

Dirtrhino's Opinion

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08/27/2015

Yes, but with strings attached. $50 is a lot of money. Whoever designs the system, also has to provide long term support for it, not just cash their check and disappear

Like (5)

operaman's Opinion

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12/13/2016

Kaiser Permanente, a gigantic Health Plan, having Hospitals along the coast of CA, WA, OR and CO. I can't say how many members they have, but I'm sure it's in the 100s of Thousands. I can't imagine the company who developed this software could not adapt it to the VA. Thus, this bill is not really necessary. The VA Administrator just needs to negotiate with software company. Remember the Obamacare web site that took years to make it functional and the $$Million$$ that went to good liberals to fix it? Almost like Solyndra, the Silicon Valley startup that collapsed, leaving taxpayers liable for $535 million in federal guarantees.

Like (4)

StratonGarrard's Opinion

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04/23/2015

Competitive enterprises such as this built the Transcontinental Railroad. The benefits are clearly there,

Like (3)

Argument opposed

The government already spent $1 billion trying to create the same system and failed. This contest lacks specifics on what the government wants developed.

JonRunyan's Opinion

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04/11/2015

The private sector already uses one!! Its call off the shelf.

Like (5)

Curmudgeon's Opinion

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06/27/2015

Sounds like a boondoggle. What went wrong with the competitive bidding previously used? Did it demand Union Contracts? Or Canadian software outfits whose chairman was a classmate of Michelle Obama's?

Like (4)

Xn's Opinion

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06/25/2015

You have a right to medical privacy. These electronic records systems are not safe. They are not protected, and you have no way to opt out unless you just refuse care. It is unconstitutional. You are to be safe in your records!

Like (3)

What is House Bill H.R. 1590?

This bill would create a contest for an organization or individual who can create the best integrated electronic health record system for veterans. The grand prize? $50 Million in cash up front plus a five-year contract to oversee the implementation worth $25 million per year.

A panel of judges to pick the winner would include:

One physician from each of the military departments
Two physicians from the Department of Veteran Affairs
Two representatives from the Veterans Benefits Administration

American companies of any size, U.S. citizens, and immigrants who have been granted permanent residence in the U.S. are all eligible to compete. Federal employees, however, can't play. In the meantime, there are few details about the requirements of the system the government would like to see invented.

Impact

Veterans, Veterans’ Families, the Department of Defense (the DoD), the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) .

Cost of House Bill H.R. 1590

$175.00 Million

CBO does not have an estimate cost at this time, however, the prize adds up to $175 million total ($50 million up front and $25 million a year for the five-year contract)

More Information

In Depth: The Federal Government has tried over the years to improve their health record system for vets, but has made little progress. This bill's idea is to outsource the work to a private entity, to save money and create a more high quality system than the current process.

As it is now, vets need the DoD to provide the VA documents of their service in order to make disability claims. Due to the high number of requests and no system for the two departments to communicate, most vets end up waiting in line for a long time for the DoD to produce records. In some of the worst cases it can take up to 4 months. Ultimately the hope that this integrated system could allow the Department of Defense and the Department of Veteran Affairs to share documents without hassle.

Media:

(Photo Credit: Flickr user Georgia National Guard)

AKA

Integrated Electronic Health Records (iEHR) for Military and Veterans Act

Official Title

To establish a prize program to award a prize and contract for the development of a fully-integrated electronic health records program for use by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

bill Progress

Not enacted
The President has not signed this bill
The senate has not voted
The house has not voted
IntroducedMarch 24th, 2015

Bill Data

Issues

Defense

Committees

Committee on Armed Services
Military Personnel
Health
Oversight and Investigations
Committee on Veterans' Affairs

Sponsor

Rep Phil Roe

(R - TN)

1 Cosponsor

Introduced 03/24/2015

Full text of Bill

bart's Opinion In Favor

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08/26/2015

Nothing else has worked - so why not?!

Like (11)

JonRunyan's Opinion Against

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04/11/2015

The private sector already uses one!! Its call off the shelf.

Like (5)

Dirtrhino's Opinion In Favor

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08/27/2015

Yes, but with strings attached. $50 is a lot of money. Whoever designs the system, also has to provide long term support for it, not just cash their check and disappear

Like (5)

Curmudgeon's Opinion Against

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06/27/2015

Sounds like a boondoggle. What went wrong with the competitive bidding previously used? Did it demand Union Contracts? Or Canadian software outfits whose chairman was a classmate of Michelle Obama's?

Like (4)

operaman's Opinion In Favor

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12/13/2016

Like (4)

StratonGarrard's Opinion In Favor

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04/23/2015

Competitive enterprises such as this built the Transcontinental Railroad. The benefits are clearly there,

Like (3)

Xn's Opinion Against

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06/25/2015

Like (3)

Maureen's Opinion Against

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06/12/2015

There are excellent EHR systems available from the private sector for far less already available. EHR were supposed to 'talk' to each other and creating yet another new system will create more glitches and problems. Save tax payer money and go to private sector ready made EHR

Like (2)

Alis's Opinion Against

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06/13/2015

Sounds like a waste of $$$. And a way to avoid doing something obvious & helpful immediately!

Like (1)

pgshpak's Opinion In Favor

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03/20/2016

Vets need more comprehensive care, and outsourcing this step is a great idea - it will save money and be more effective. Overall this isn't much money and should be a bipartisan bill.

Like (1)

Richard's Opinion Against

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11/25/2015

Another waste of money. Use the private sector.

Like (1)

AndrewGVN's Opinion Against

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10/19/2015

This will most likely turn into another big failure. What will occur after the purposed 5 year contract ends? I'm not very confident that this will bring in an actual good, operating system that is being gone after.

Like (1)

ThomasParker's Opinion Against

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03/29/2016

Another example of governmental ineptitude, waste, and catastrophic failure. The list waits are just a symptom of the real problem: that vets cannot get timely care.

Like (1)

Gerald's Opinion Against

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01/21/2016

No cash pay outs. Take bids as required and evaluate each proposal based on quality and exactly what's needed. Don't just get the cheapest bid as usual get the best quality system that meets all requirements.

Like (1)

Jerry's Opinion Against

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05/22/2016

Too much money is wasted in illusive things like this. I am 100% for taking care of our vets. Put the problem up for a college project and they could do it for almost free.

Like (1)

R.K.'s Opinion Against

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05/28/2016

A worthwhile idea but put out for bids and see what private sector can develop at better cost - never enough money to go around and lots needed for education , health care , infrastructure , and more!