VA Southern Oregon staff describe efficiency gains from Federal Electronic Health Record

Staff at the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center say features of the Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) are helping them handle tasks such as charting and processing patient orders more quickly, according to a November 5, 2026, story from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In a video highlighted by the department, nurse practitioner Rasha Yaghan described an Ambient AI tool that records patient visits with patients' permission. She said it makes her charting easier and often lets her finish work before dark, calling it a "game changer" for her productivity. She added that on very busy days she still cannot always catch up.

Physician Assistant Matthew Demas recommended using the system's "dot phrases," shortcuts for repetitive text in patient notes. He said they could speed up documentation "probably 5- or 10-fold."

Dental hygienist Vanessa Crosby said changes to the system have made ordering patient X-rays easier, and that staff have noticed improvements over the years.

The VA said the video is the latest episode in its series "The Federal EHR: Real Stories. Real Impact." The story is based on comments from VA staff and was produced by the department's EHR modernization communications office.

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/792