[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2228,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to lose key leadership as negotiations with Cerner for a $10 billion electronic health record modernization contract remain up in the air.

Acting chief information officer Scott Blackburn resigned this week from his duties at the VA, making the announcement on his personal Twitter account. Blackburn, who also served as acting assistant secretary of information and technology, gave no reason for his resignation, stating that his plan was to take \u201ctime off for a few months\u201d and that he would \u201cremain both VA\u2019s biggest cheerleader and critic from afar.\u201d

Blackburn\u2019s departure comes on the heels of the ouster of David Shulkin, MD, as secretary of the VA. President Trump announced Shulkin\u2019s firing on Twitter and his decision to tap his physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson to lead the agency.

Also See<\/b>: Shulkin departure leaves VA contract with Cerner up in the air<\/a>

\u201cScott Blackburn has resigned as executive in charge of VA\u2019s Office of Information & Technology,\u201d said Curt Cashour, VA press secretary, in a written statement. \u201cWe thank Scott for his service and wish him the best of luck in the future. Camilo Sandoval is the executive in charge of VA\u2019s Office of Information & Technology.\u201d

Sandoval has served as senior advisor to VA\u2019s under secretary for health, a job in which he oversaw a range of improvement efforts including EHR modernization and telehealth, according to Cashour.

\u201cA candidate for VA\u2019s permanent assistant secretary for information and technology has been identified and is being vetted by the White House,\u201d added Cashour.

The Cerner EHR that the VA had planned to implement over 10 years is estimated to cost a total of $15.8 billion, according to the latest agency data provided to Congress, with $10 billion designated to go to the vendor. Negotiations between the agency and Cerner to finalize the contract have been going on for nearly a year because of a series of delays. The VA has yet to announce the completion of the deal.

Asked about the status of the contract with Cerner in light of Shulkin and Blackburn both leaving the agency, Cashour responded that \u201cVA doesn\u2019t typically comment on ongoing contract negotiations.\u201d

Nonetheless, some observers are concerned that two of the hands-on architects behind replacing the agency\u2019s legacy EHR with Cerner\u2019s Millennium platform\u2014Shulkin and Blackburn\u2014are now gone and that the future of the project may be in doubt.

\u201cThere are a lot of challenges at the VA right now,\u201d says Micky Tripathi, president and CEO of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, regarding news of Blackburn\u2019s resignation. \u201cI worry about that and the continuing delays in the Cerner contract.\u201d

Tripathi contends that losing Shulkin and Blackburn could potentially leave an opening for supporters of the VA\u2019s Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA)\u2014which is very popular with many of the agency\u2019s clinicians\u2014to try to block the decision to replace the legacy system with a Cerner EHR.

\u201cIt\u2019s not a secret that there\u2019s a large constituency within the VA who thought that they shouldn\u2019t move from VistA,\u201d adds Tripathi. \u201cI\u2019m not suggesting that they have bad motives, because I think that they come from a place where they truly believe that VistA is the right solution and that Cerner will not be the best solution.\u201d","saveContent":"The Department of Veterans Affairs continues to lose key leadership as negotiations with Cerner for a $10 billion electronic health record modernization contract remain up in the air.

Acting chief information officer Scott Blackburn resigned this week from his duties at the VA, making the announcement on his personal Twitter account. Blackburn, who also served as acting assistant secretary of information and technology, gave no reason for his resignation, stating that his plan was to take \u201ctime off for a few months\u201d and that he would \u201cremain both VA\u2019s biggest cheerleader and critic from afar.\u201d

Blackburn\u2019s departure comes on the heels of the ouster of David Shulkin, MD, as secretary of the VA. President Trump announced Shulkin\u2019s firing on Twitter and his decision to tap his physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson to lead the agency.

Also See<\/b>: Shulkin departure leaves VA contract with Cerner up in the air<\/a>

\u201cScott Blackburn has resigned as executive in charge of VA\u2019s Office of Information & Technology,\u201d said Curt Cashour, VA press secretary, in a written statement. \u201cWe thank Scott for his service and wish him the best of luck in the future. Camilo Sandoval is the executive in charge of VA\u2019s Office of Information & Technology.\u201d

Sandoval has served as senior advisor to VA\u2019s under secretary for health, a job in which he oversaw a range of improvement efforts including EHR modernization and telehealth, according to Cashour.

\u201cA candidate for VA\u2019s permanent assistant secretary for information and technology has been identified and is being vetted by the White House,\u201d added Cashour.

The Cerner EHR that the VA had planned to implement over 10 years is estimated to cost a total of $15.8 billion, according to the latest agency data provided to Congress, with $10 billion designated to go to the vendor. Negotiations between the agency and Cerner to finalize the contract have been going on for nearly a year because of a series of delays. The VA has yet to announce the completion of the deal.

Asked about the status of the contract with Cerner in light of Shulkin and Blackburn both leaving the agency, Cashour responded that \u201cVA doesn\u2019t typically comment on ongoing contract negotiations.\u201d

Nonetheless, some observers are concerned that two of the hands-on architects behind replacing the agency\u2019s legacy EHR with Cerner\u2019s Millennium platform\u2014Shulkin and Blackburn\u2014are now gone and that the future of the project may be in doubt.

\u201cThere are a lot of challenges at the VA right now,\u201d says Micky Tripathi, president and CEO of the Massachusetts eHealth Collaborative, regarding news of Blackburn\u2019s resignation. \u201cI worry about that and the continuing delays in the Cerner contract.\u201d

Tripathi contends that losing Shulkin and Blackburn could potentially leave an opening for supporters of the VA\u2019s Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA)\u2014which is very popular with many of the agency\u2019s clinicians\u2014to try to block the decision to replace the legacy system with a Cerner EHR.

\u201cIt\u2019s not a secret that there\u2019s a large constituency within the VA who thought that they shouldn\u2019t move from VistA,\u201d adds Tripathi. \u201cI\u2019m not suggesting that they have bad motives, because I think that they come from a place where they truly believe that VistA is the right solution and that Cerner will not be the best solution.\u201d","order":0,"get_parent":{},"attributes":[],"attributesType":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"dynamicContent":""}]

Resignation of VA’s acting CIO casts doubt on EHR efforts

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