Carlos Díaz Vélez, president of the Puerto Rico Medical Surgeons Association (Colegio de Médicos Cirujanos de Puerto Rico), said on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that completing in one year the system to share electronic medical records among hospitals, clinics, laboratories and pharmacies is "impossible," calling it a matter of realism rather than pessimism. He was reacting to the timetable set by Health Secretary Víctor Ramos, who said the first phase of the Puerto Rico Health Information Exchange System (PRHIES) would cover hospitals and be finished in early 2027, with the roughly 100,000 health service providers on the island added by September of that year.
The platform would let a primary care doctor consult results of a study done the previous day in an emergency room, which Ramos said would help avoid duplicate tests and speed diagnoses. Díaz Vélez agreed the system is needed but estimated integration could take five to 10 years, noting there are about 50 or 60 different types of electronic records in Puerto Rico and that some doctors paid for their own systems while others still pay for internet-based services.
He also cited the unstable electric service, saying a blackout can interrupt equipment even at facilities with generators. He recalled three or four previous attempts and said questions persist about funds spent on them. He tied financing to what Congress decides on Medicaid funds for Puerto Rico in 2027; Ramos said the platform would be funded 55% federal and 45% state.
Díaz Vélez said the association backs Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández in seeking a permanent 83% federal share.