It sounds like the VA hospitals are suffering from major failures of protocol and procedure, none of which can be solved by IT systems, even if they work well.

It sounds like the VA hospitals are suffering from major failures of protocol and procedure, none of which can be solved by IT systems, even if they work well. Turns out that computerized systems also require that humans follow protocol and procedure in order for them to function properly. But either way, these systems don't operate in a vacuum. Someone needs to analyze the real-world impact of these problems and develop a workflow and procedures that work with the hospital's organizational structure, physical layout, current and planned staff, training, auditing, procurement, patient scheduling, and accounting systems. No software contract for one piece with HP or IBM or Cerner is going to address all of that.