A blind employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs is suing the federal agency on grounds that their new electronic health records system makes it impossible for her to do her job.
A clinical social worker, Laurette Santos has worked for the VA for a decade, but when the agency switched to Oracle Health’s Cerner EHR in 2022, her productivity plummeted. Sighted people had to help her complete basic tasks like reading her clients’ files because the new system could not accommodate the Jobs Access With Speech software — the most commonly used screen reader for federal employees.
“I am extremely independent, and I work to maintain that independence,” said Santos, who lives in White City, Oregon. “I feel that they came along and made me disabled again, and I object to that.”
This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — and get additional analysis of the technologies disrupting health care — by subscribing to STAT+.
Already have an account? Log in
Already have an account? Log in
About the Author Reprints
To submit a correction request, please visit our Contact Us page.
STAT encourages you to share your voice. We welcome your commentary, criticism, and expertise on our subscriber-only platform, STAT+ Connect