VA renews Oracle Cerner EHR modernization contract, with renegotiated phrases

The U.S. Division of Veterans Affairs has arrived at a brand new digital well being report take care of Oracle, following 5 years marked by rollout challenges and performance problems which have impacted veterans’ care – leading to reported harm to at least 149 patients – and lately to the temporary halt of the VA EHR modernization program.

WHY IT MATTERS

The VA’s modified contract with Oracle Cerner goals “to ship the high-functioning, high-reliability, world-class digital well being report that Veterans deserve,” the company mentioned in an EHR modernization contract update obtained by Bloomberg Authorities.

“This renegotiated contract dramatically will increase VA’s capability to carry Oracle Cerner accountable throughout a wide range of key areas.”

Below the brand new phrases, previous system outages would have yielded “a 30-fold enhance” in financial credit, based on the company.

Outage-free is certainly one of 28 efficiency metrics that might lead to financial credit constructed into the renegotiated contract. Incidents the place one part isn’t working or the system is experiencing interruptions and working slowly would additionally lead to value reductions for the VA.

Along with reliability, Oracle Cerner is incentivized to be aware of VA clinicians and help requests and is required to satisfy interoperability objectives. The EHR vendor wants to make sure entry to affected person well being data at personal hospitals and interface with the VA’s web site, cell purposes and different patient-facing applications the company has rolled out.

“All in all, it is a a lot stronger contract, and I’m hopeful it can assist VA make sure that Oracle Cerner will get this EHR program to work for Washington state suppliers and veterans,” mentioned U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the VA Subcommittee and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, mentioned in a press release Tuesday.

THE LARGER TREND

Murray has been a vocal critic of many aspects of the EHR program. This previous March, she and different Senate Democrats launched the EHR Program RESET Actwhich might require VA to implement a collection of EHR reforms. Republicans within the Home of Representatives and Senate, in the meantime, provided their very own measures to reset or terminate the VA’s EHRM program.

In April, the VA halted all planned deployments of the Oracle Cerner EHR with a purpose to concentrate on fixing points recognized at 5 websites at the moment utilizing it – Spokane VA Health Care SystemVA Walla Walla Well being Care, Roseburg VA Well being Care System, VA Southern Oregon Well being Care and VA Central Ohio Well being Care System.

“For the previous few years, we’ve tried to repair this aircraft whereas flying it – and that hasn’t delivered the outcomes that veterans or our workers deserve,” mentioned Dr. Neil Evans, performing program government director of the VA’s EHRM Integration Workplace within the company’s announcement.

Clear enhancements within the clinician and veteran experiences, sustained excessive efficiency and excessive reliability should be evident earlier than the EHR is rolled out at some other VA medical heart, the VA had mentioned.

ON THE RECORD

“Finally, we imagine that this new contract offers VA the instruments we have to maintain Oracle Cerner accountable to ship an EHR that may meaningfully enhance veterans’ well being outcomes and advantages,” mentioned VA officers within the contract replace. “The system has not delivered for veterans or VA clinicians to this point, however we’re stopping at nothing to get this proper.”

Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT Information.
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