The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Oracle Cerner have agreed to extend their contract for the Electronic Health Records Modernization (EHRM) program by one month as they continue negotiations on a new contract. The VA renegotiated the contract with Oracle Cerner in May 2023 to make the company more accountable for technical fixes to the program, which has faced challenges since its launch. The new contract has been upgraded from one five-year term to five one-year terms, allowing for renegotiation each year if needed.
The previous contract expired on May 16, but the extension gives the parties until June 16 to finalize the new contract. The negotiations have been focused on ensuring the long-term success of the program for veterans and physicians. While there have been some improvements to the EHR system over the past year, a group of Democratic senators have urged for stronger accountability provisions in the ongoing contract negotiations, citing continued challenges with the program.
During the ongoing reset period for the EHRM program, all future deployments have been paused as the VA and Oracle Cerner work on technical improvements to the system. VA Secretary Denis McDonough reassured lawmakers that the agency does not plan to remain in reset mode for the entirety of fiscal year 2025 and intends to resume deployments soon.
Overall, the negotiations between the VA and Oracle Cerner aim to address the current challenges with the EHRM program and ensure that it serves veterans, VA providers, and taxpayers effectively. With a focus on accountability and technical improvements, the parties are working towards a streamlined contract that will benefit all stakeholders involved in the program.
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https://www.meritalk.com/articles/va-oracle-cerner-extend-ehrm-contract-for-1-month/
