A look at Oracle's new EHR system

Oracle Health is advancing its presence in the EHR market with the development of a new AI-powered EHR platform.

Announced in October, the new EHR incorporates advanced cloud and AI capabilities and is built independently of Cerner's original platform. Oracle says the system is free of traditional menus and drop-down screens, allowing clinicians to access information with simple voice commands.

However, with the introduction of this new system, current Cerner users will face the decision of whether to transition to the new EHR. Oracle Health is aware of the challenges EHR migrations can pose, and Suhas Uliyar, Oracle Health's senior vice president of product told Becker's that the company's committed to making the switch as seamless as possible.

"Change management is often one of the most taxing elements of a software migration. However, Oracle's next-generation EHR was designed with a simple to use, intuitive interface that we believe will significantly ease adoption amongst users," Mr. Uliyar said. "For example, instead of having to hunt for records, users will be able to ask questions like, 'please pull up a patient's latest lab records.'" 

Oracle Health also plans to provide close support for migrating customers, and the new EHR uses Oracle's advanced database, familiar to Millennium users, to smooth the data transition and minimize disruptions.

Oracle's early-adopter program for the new EHR is set to launch in 2025, with the company planning to work closely with customers to address specific needs and customizations.

"Like our beta program with Oracle Health Clinical AI Agent, we have several marquee customers worldwide in our design process and are working with them to continue our partnership with the early adopter program," Mr. Uliyar said.

Oracle Health's new EHR has already been described as "very disruptive to the market" by Seema Verma, Oracle Health and Life Sciences' executive vice president and general manager. 

"Our EHR is going to solve a lot of longstanding problems that we've had in healthcare," she told CNBC in October. 

Oracle's acquisition of EHR vendor Cerner for $28.4 billion in June 2023 positioned it to be a major player in the EHR market, with Cerner contributing $5.9 billion to Oracle's total revenue last year and holding a 23.4% share in the acute care EHR market, according to KLAS Research. The addition of a new, AI-integrated EHR could strengthen Oracle's position even further.

"The Oracle Health EHR is future-ready. We are not just building for today's needs, we're preparing for the future," Mr. Uliyar said. "Our EHR platform is built on a scalable architecture that leverages cloud-native technologies. Built on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, it benefits from the scalability, security and performance that modern healthcare demands."

Mr. Uliyar noted that while many EHRs are starting to add AI as an afterthought, Oracle’s system was built from the ground up with AI at its core.

"When we say 'AI-first,' we mean that this EHR is being built from the ground up with AI as a core component," he said. "This approach helps ensure that AI seamlessly integrates into every part of the workflow, allowing clinicians to work smarter, not harder."

The platform is also designed to adapt to each user's behaviors over time, tailoring itself to individual preferences, remembering frequently used order sets and customizing views to improve workflow efficiency.

"Together, these attributes ensure that the platform is not only adaptable to clinicians' needs but also equipped to evolve with the ever-changing landscape of healthcare technology," he said.

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