President Joe Biden unveiled plans to nominate Kurt DelBene as the CIO and assistant secretary for information and technology at the Department of Veterans Affairs. If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. DelBene would be tasked with guiding the VA's rollout of the $16 billion Cerner EHR system.
Three things to know:
- Mr. DelBene previously served as Microsoft's executive vice president of corporate strategy, core services engineering and operations before retiring in September, according to a Nov. 3 news release. He worked at the company for 27 years, split over two terms.
- Mr. DelBene was appointed by then-President Barack Obama as a senior adviser to the secretary of HHS from 2013-14. During his time with the Obama administration, Mr. DelBene worked to improve healthcare.gov, the enrollment website for the Affordable Care Act.
- The price tag for the VA's electronic health records project sits at $16 billion but is expected to increase after a cost review is completed. The acting CIO is Neil Evans, MD, a physician with the VA who also leads the Office of Connected Care, Federal Cyber Week reported.