The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs expects Oracle Cerner to deliver on its $10 billion EHR contract despite layoffs reportedly tied to the program, NextGov/FCW reported June 22.
Oracle Cerner reportedly planned to let go of hundreds of employees, in part because of the troubled VA EHR rollout. The new VA system has experienced technical issues and budget overruns, causing the two sides to restructure their contract in May.
"VA leadership remains fully committed to the success of the department's EHR modernization program," Neil Evans, MD, acting executive director of the VA's EHR program, emailed the news outlet. "VA expects any contractor to provide the appropriate levels of talent and expertise to deliver on their contractual commitments, and our expectations for Oracle Cerner are no different. VA will continue to work with Oracle Cerner to ensure the system is fully operational and that user support and system optimization efforts proceed unimpeded."
Oracle Cerner didn't respond to NextGov/FCW's requests for comment on the layoffs or their effects on the VA EHR. But a physician executive with the EHR vendor wrote in an email viewed by the news outlet that "the entire clinical team from Oracle Cerner was eliminated,” including "clinicians who have years of experience in leadership, technology, population health management, data analytics and bread and butter EHR implementation."