It's been revealed that at least a third of the 153 Veterans Affairs' hospitals around the USA have been experiencing problems with incorrect medical data on the VA computer system for several months. VA says the glitch is now fixed.
Medical data -- vital signs, lab results, active medications -- sometimes popped up under another patient's name on computer screens. Patients at Veterans Affairs centers around the country received incorrect doses of drugs, faced treatment delays and possibly were exposed to other medical errors because software allowed faulty displays of their electronic health records.
The glitches date back to a software upgrade in August 2008. Steve Buyer, the top Republican on the Veterans Affairs House Committee has demanded an explanation.
"I am deeply concerned about the consequences on patient care that could have resulted from this 'software glitch' and that mistakes were not disclosed to patients who were directly affected," said Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind. "I have asked VA for a forensic analysis of all pertinent records to determine if any veterans were harmed, and I would like to know who was responsible for the testing and authorized the release of the new application."
It's been claimed officials knew about the problem, and lied to cover up.
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