Dive Brief:
- Cerner President Zane Burke is stepping down, effective Nov. 2, after leading the company's client organization for five years.
- Taking over the reins as chief client officer will be John Peterzalek, currently executive vice president of world client relationships, the company said.
- Burke joined Cerner in 1996, holding various leadership positions in sales, technology implementation, finance and support.
Dive Insight:
Appointed president in 2013, Burke helped Cerner secure several lucrative government contracts, including a $10 billion no-bid contract to replace the Veterans Administration's aging VistA medical records systems with Cerner's EHR. The initial task orders were announced in May.
The company also landed a $4.3 billion Department of Defense contract for MHS Genesis EHR in 2015 and plans to provide clinical data between DOD, VA and community providers. DOD increased the contract's ceiling by $1.2 billion in late July to include the Coast Guard and expand the scope of tools and services.
Besides the VA contract, Cerner landed seven other large contracts during the 2018 second quarter. On a recent earnings call, Burke described the deals as "a full box of chocolates, and they're all very desirable."
Burke has also pushed Cerner's innovative edge through such means as a partnership with Salesforce to advance population health via cloud-based tools and efforts to leverage patients' DNA to prevent illness and improve outcomes, cutting healthcare costs in the process.
"We thank Zane for his contributions to Cerner across more than two decades," CEO Brent Shafer said in a statement. "Zane leaves the company with a strong client focus and commitment to continued innovation, partnership and sustainable growth deeply engrained in our culture and leadership philosophy."
Burke said he is pleased with what the company has accomplished together with its clients. "Complex and evolving challenges remain, and Cerner is uniquely positioned to continue innovating for the good of consumers and health care providers," he said.