The U.S. government and Cerner’s negligence delayed Charlie Bourg’s cancer diagnosis – essentially costing him his life. Now he’s fighting to keep it from happening to other veterans.
U.S. Army veteran Charlie Bourg is a grandfather of five and a lifelong advocate for his fellow veterans. When Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center rushed the rollout of a faulty electronic health record (EHR) system, the errors impacted patient care right away. Charlie watched the medical center’s dedicated, compassionate health care providers struggle to use the system that was supposed to make their jobs better. Quality of patient care went down – and systemic flaws were so egregious that veterans staged protests outside the medical center demanding action.
Charlie was on the front lines of those protests – but he never expected that his life would be cut short by defective technology. During routine testing at his annual checkup, Charlie’s doctor noticed elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen, indicating he may have prostate cancer and needed to see a urologist for more testing.
But the EHR mis-routed the message, causing a 17-month delay. During that time, Charlie’s cancer grew and spread to other parts of his body. By the time he was diagnosed, the prognosis was terminal.
Now, with representation from our team at Luvera Law Firm, Charlie has filed a lawsuit to hold the government and the manufacturer responsible.
“I’m doing this for my fellow veterans – I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Charlie said. “My time may be short, but I will not go quietly. The people at the top need to be held accountable.”
“What happened to Charlie is not only tragic – it’s inexcusable,” said Mark Kamitomo, one of the attorneys representing Bourg. “Electronic health records are intended to make care efficient and accurate, passing information seamlessly between providers to give the best care. In this case, Charlie would have been better served if his doctor had sent the referral by handwritten letter. This rushed, untested system caused a 17-month delay that essentially will cost him his life.”
Watch this space for updates as Charlie’s case progresses. And if you believe you’ve been harmed by the EHR rollout at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, we may be able to help. Click here to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.
Ongoing press coverage:
- Army veteran files lawsuit alleging VA computer system delayed cancer diagnosis (The Spokesman-Review)
- Vet Sues over EHR (Politico)
- Army Veteran Files Lawsuit Alleging VA Computer System Delayed Cancer Diagnosis (Military.com)
- Army veteran files lawsuit alleging VA computer system delayed cancer diagnosis (Stars and Stripes)
