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Software Glitches Exposed Vets to Wrong Drug Doses

Top Republican on the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., has demanded that the VA explain how it allowed software glitches to put patients at risk.

Buyer was quoted as saying, “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.  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."

Software glitches that showed faulty displays of electronic health records caused patients at VA health centers to be given the wrong doses of drugs, treatments to be delayed and other possible medical errors, according to internal documents obtained by the Associated Press under the Freedom of Information Act.

The software glitches started in August and lasted until December.  These glitches were not disclosed to patients by the VA even though they occasionally involved prolonged infusions of drugs, such as blood-thinning heparin, which can be life-threatening if administered in excessive doses.

There was one case of a patient who was having chest pains at the VA medical center in Durham, North Carolina.  The patient was given heparin for 11 hours longer than medically necessary as doctors looked to rule out a heart attack.

Even though there is no evidence that any patients were harmed, the VA is still reviewing the situation.    However, veteran groups have criticized the VA saying the agency’s secrecy has created a false sense of security.

Electronic medical records are designed to prevent millions of medical mistakes credited in part to paper systems.  Health-care experts say that the VA’s situation illustrates the need for close monitoring.

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