Canadian Healthcare Technology Logo
  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us

Philips

AGFA 1400x150

Petal Health

Petal Health 1400x150

International

Green light for Cerner on $10 billion VA contract

May 23, 2018


Robert WilkieWASHINGTON, D.C. – Cerner now has the go-ahead for a multibillion-dollar no-bid contract to update the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ health records system, after nearly a year of waiting.

The Trump administration had chosen Cerner for the VA contract in June 2017 and cited benefits of having the same system as the Defense Department.

That nod from then-VA Secretary David Shulkin came before the government and Cerner had negotiated a price. Analysts have since evaluated the contract as worth $10 billion in revenue over 10 years to Cerner.

“This is one of the largest IT contracts in the federal government, with a ceiling of $10 billion over 10 years,” said Veterans Affairs Acting Secretary Robert Wilkie (pictured). “And with a contract of that size, you can understand why former Secretary Shulkin and I took some extra time to do our due diligence and make sure the contract does what the president wanted.”

Wilkie said that “without doubt” the contract will “do right by both veterans and taxpayers.”

Cerner, based in North Kansas City, won the VA contract without going through a normal bidding process because it was part of the team that won bidding for the larger defense contract.

However, the Defense Department system’s early operations ran into snags at a few pilot locations.

Officials at Cerner and Leidos Health, which is the leading partner on the Department of Defense project, characterized problems as similar to those on large commercial projects and said the pilot programs were designed to ferret them out to be fixed.

In his announcement, Wilkie said Veterans Affairs is “collaborating closely” with the Defense Department sites using their new system “to ensure lessons learned” will be shared throughout both networks of health care operations.

Cerner, in its own statement, said the contract would allow it to provide “seamless care” across the VA and Defense Department networks as well as beyond.

“We expect this program to be a positive catalyst for interoperability across the public and private healthcare sectors, and we look forward to moving quickly with organizations across the industry to deliver on the promise of this mission,” Cerner’s statement said.

In a blog, Cerner CEO Brent Shafer said Veterans Affairs would benefit financially from the new system’s ability to connect beyond VA centers, given advances in technology and “the cost of maintaining expensive, decentralized systems” that he said was unsustainable.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican on the Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee, said the system would improve healthcare for veterans.

“I applaud the VA for choosing to fully integrate the health records for our nation’s heroes through Cerner’s EHR system, which will ease the transition to civilian life for our veterans and reduce the unnecessary burdens they face when it comes to receiving care,” Moran said in a statement.

PreviousNext

CHT print

CHT print

e-Messenger

  • Carney appoints new health minister, AI chief
  • NS delays start of provincial EHR system
  • New associate CEO of CIUSSS-West-Central Montreal
  • Medic Alert bracelets will connect to EHRs
  • Mount Sinai deploys system for partial knee replacement
More from e-Messenger

Subscribe

Subscribe

Weekly blasts are sent each month, via e-mail, to over 7,000 senior managers and executives in hospitals, clinics and health regions. Learn More

Infoway

Infoway

Zebra

Zebra

Zebra

Zebra

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra KLAS

Sectra KLAS

Stratford Group

Stratford Group

Pure Storage

Pure Storage

Medirex

Medirex

NIHI

NIHI

CHT print

CHT print

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra KLAS

Sectra KLAS

Stratford Group

Stratford Group

Pure Storage

Pure Storage

Medirex

Medirex

NIHI

NIHI

Contact Us

Canadian Healthcare Technology
1118 Centre Street, Suite 204
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L4J 7R9
Tel: 905-709-2330
Fax: 905-709-2258
info2@canhealth.com

  • Quick Links
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
    • Events
    • Vendors
    • About Us
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • White Papers
    • Writers’ Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Administrative Solutions
    • Clinical Solutions
    • Companies
    • Continuing Care
    • Diagnostics
    • Education & Training
  •  
    • Electronic Records
    • Government & Policy
    • Infrastructure
    • Innovation
    • People
    • Privacy and Security

© 2025 Canadian Healthcare Technology

The content of Canadian Healthcare Technology is subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Send all requests for permission to Jerry Zeidenberg, Publisher.

Search Site

Error: Enter a search term

  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us