The Indian Health Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides healthcare to federally recognized tribes, tapped General Dynamics Information Technology to build the agency a new EHR using Oracle Cerner.
The new EHR will replace the 40-year-old Resource and Patient Management System that the IHS has been using to handle patient registration and billing. The new EHR installation is part of the 10-year-long IHS IT modernization initiative, according to a Nov. 8 IHS news release.
The news comes as Oracle Cerner looks to resume its work on installing the VA's EHR system in the summer of 2024.
"We are ready and eager to move forward with the enterprise EHR with our partners. It is time to replace our current system and ensure that IHS is keeping pace with technological advances across the health care delivery system," IHS CIO Mitchell Thornbrugh said in the news release. "This modernization — and the technology that drives it — will impact every part of our health care delivery. Most importantly, the new EHR will enable patients and their providers to have updated and accurate information to make the best health care decisions."