After the DoD moved to Cerner for a new EHR system, the VA decided to follow suit. The goal was to create a “seamless, longitudinal record”—and that was the beginning of the largest health IT modernization project in history, Glueck said. And, although he didn’t mention it, the beginning of one of the VA’s biggest headaches. The problem, Glueck wrote, was that the new project involved “standardizing procedures and workflows that may have been different across 130 VistA implementations at largely autonomous VA medical centers.”
In June 2022—a significant month in the whole rollout process—Cerner was acquired by Oracle. By Glueck’s lights, that meant the VA “now has essentially 2 vendors for the price of one—one with extensive clinical expertise and one with extensive engineering expertise.”
Oracle, he said, “is hard at work to stabilize and improve performance; make fixes to functionality and design issues; improve training and build a better user experience.” He noted that significant improvements to the system’s capacity and performance have included reducing the most severe outage incidents by 67%.
In a recent statement, House VA Committee Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL) and Technology Modernization Subcommittee Chairman Matt Rosendale (R-MT) said, “We support Secretary McDonough’s decision in the strongest possible terms. The best way to get out of a hole is to stop digging, and we’re encouraged that VA and Oracle Cerner have finally realized that.”
VA and Oracle Cerner are currently working toward an amended contract that will "increase Oracle Cerner’s accountability to deliver a high-functioning, high-reliability, world-class EHR system,” the VA says. As part of the re-set, the VA also will work with Congress on resource requirements. The VA estimates FY 2023 costs will be reduced by $400 million.
