House Clamps Down On iEHR

The House Omnibus Appropriations Act, passed Jan. 15, included project funding restrictions for the interagency electronic health record program known as iEHR.

"The actions of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs in developing an electronic health record continue to be of concern to the Committees," the bill read. 

Original estimates for the iEHR were estimated to be between $4 billion and $6 billion. However, in September 2012, the Interagency Program Office doubled its previous estimates, pegging the final price tag somewhere between $8 billion and $12 billion. However, both estimates proved to be grossly inaccurate, as costs climbed to a whopping $28 billion early last year.