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Dive Insight:
If confirmed, Collins, a former Republican congressman from Georgia, Navy veteran and Air Force Reserve chaplain, will take on an EHR modernization project that’s long been criticized by lawmakers for ballooning costs and patient safety concerns.
Only six VA medical centers are currently live with the Oracle EHR, more than four years after the first facility deployed the record in October 2020. Multiple reports by the VA’s Office of Inspector General have scrutinized errors with the record system, including a problem that may have contributed to a patient’s death.
“The implementation of the electronic health record is a bipartisan, multi-administration disaster,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., during the hearing. The committee advanced Collins’ nomination on Thursday for a vote on the Senate floor.
Collins agreed that the modernization program has lasted for too long and cost too much money, noting that the department has to adopt the new EHR in part to ensure service members can easily transition into VA care once they exit active duty.
During the hearing, Collins said he plans to review the project, bringing both Oracle and VA staff — including clinicians —to the table to hash out issues.
Collins also said he would consider restarting new deployments sooner than planned. The VA said in late December it was taking steps to deploy the record system at four Michigan facilities in mid-2026 after the agency halted most rollouts in April 2023 to focus on system improvements.
“I believe that we can do it and do it properly, not rushed,” Collins said. “There’s enough information there that I believe we can actually get it done quicker, but it’s going to take looking at.”
