The Department of Veterans Affairs reportedly received its report on Cerner's interoperability capacity, and though the report has not yet been made public, the agency is reportedly in talks with other vendors, including Allscripts CEO Paul Black, Politico Morning eHealth newsletter reports.
Here are four updates on the Cerner-VA deal.
1. The review, which VA Secretary David Shulkin, MD, requested in December after pausing the Cerner contract, examined the efficiency and seamlessness of sharing data. It is reportedly being passed around in VA committees.
2. The VA said it will likely announce the contract — an estimated $10 billion award to span 10 years — by early March.
3. An unnamed source told Politico other vendors may be involved in crafting the agency's interoperability solutions, both in the long and short terms.
4. Allscripts CEO Paul Black said his company has been in talks with Dr. Shulkin and other VA and Department of Defense IT specialists, according to Politico. The vendor said its interoperability platform designed for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, a system that uses multiple EHR vendors, is an example of the solution it could provide to the VA.