Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The artistic side of a broken pot: a story about Oracle and Cerner

Afua Aning, MD
Tech
March 4, 2022
Share
Tweet
Share

I recently had an opportunity to assist a hospital organization with its electronic health records implementation in Las Vegas. I’m usually working non-stop during implementations, but I was ecstatic when I could get a break from work to sightseeing. I arranged with a tour bus to explore the Grand Canyon (I’m not much into gambling).

I reported to the tour bus at 6 a.m. and was ushered inside the remarkably comfortable bus with my fellow travelers. I sat across from a young Japanese man named Ginjz. We proceeded to engage in small talk. The topic eventually came to Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with mixed gold, silver, or platinum. In Japanese culture, when valuable pottery breaks, there is a process where the breaks are highlighted with metal ornamentation to emphasize the imperfection, not hide it. The broken crockery that is rebuilt becomes more valuable than the previous form.

I couldn’t help but relate this story to the acquisition of Cerner by Oracle last year for just over $28 billion. It remains to be seen how Oracle will incorporate Cerner into its larger business. It’s also a mystery how Oracle will change Cerner as the company moves into the future. As John Moore, author of the article, “The Repercussions of Oracle’s Acquisition of Cerner,” explains, “Oracle has set up Cerner as a stand-alone division within Oracle that may provide some autonomy and unlike previous Oracle acquisition(s) where the company had some domain expertise.” It’s uncharted territory for both entities.

Oracle has been an exceedingly small player in the electronic health records (EHR) provider market and is heavily dependent on Cerner to make this acquisition work. However, Oracle’s expertise in cloud-based technology could be a game-changer for the health care IT world.

Cerner is coming off a challenging year. In addition to being acquired by Oracle, the company’s other big headline in 2021 was the failed rollout as the replacement EHR at Veterans Administration hospitals. A successful integration by Oracle could provide the synergy the company needs. While Cerner is a significant player in EHR, Oracle dwarfs the company’s size with annual revenue of over $40 billion. That revenue could open up new opportunities for Cerner that didn’t exist before. Its prominent presence in tech-heavy locations such as Silicon Valley and headquarters in Austin, Texas, will help the company attract the talent it needs to grow.

Perhaps by being acquired by Oracle, Cerner has found the gold bond needed to “Kintsugi” the cracks created by the past. The strength of this acquisition would be an innovative force that makes the electronic health record giant more potent than before.

Afua Aning is a physician informaticist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Want to improve telehealth? Ask people with disabilities.

March 4, 2022 Kevin 5
…
Next

Am I a doctor or a contingency plan?

March 4, 2022 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Health IT

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Want to improve telehealth? Ask people with disabilities.
Next Post >
Am I a doctor or a contingency plan?

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Afua Aning, MD

  • The universal impact of health care informatics

    Afua Aning, MD
  • Health care informatics and the future of patient care

    Afua Aning, MD
  • 2024 health care informatics forecast: AI diagnostics, personalized medicine, and cybersecurity transformations

    Afua Aning, MD

Related Posts

  • Every patient has a story

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • My frustration pot has overflowed

    Michele Luckenbaugh
  • Why everyone needs a six-word story

    Alexie Puran, MD
  • A medical student as storyteller and story-listener

    Yoo Jung Kim, MD
  • My Klonopin withdrawal story

    Bethany Silverman
  • A medical student’s story of racism and bias

    Akosua Y. Oppong

More in Tech

  • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

    Shanice Spence-Miller, MD
  • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

    Vineet Vishwanath
  • The promise and perils of AI in health care: Why we need better testing standards

    Max Rollwage, PhD
  • 3 tips for using AI medical scribes to save time charting

    Erica Dorn, FNP
  • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

    Gabe Jones, MBA
  • Generative AI 2025: a 20-minute cheat sheet for busy clinicians

    Harvey Castro, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • How New Mexico became a malpractice lawsuit hotspot

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors are reclaiming control from burnout culture

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
    • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

      Ilan Shapiro, MD | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Decoding your medical bill: What those charges really mean

      Cheryl Spang | Finance
    • The emotional first responders of aesthetic medicine

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why testosterone matters more than you think in women’s health

      Andrea Caamano, MD | Conditions
    • A mind to guide the machine: Why physicians must help shape artificial intelligence in medicine

      Shanice Spence-Miller, MD | Tech
    • How subjective likability practices undermine Canada’s health workforce recruitment and retention

      Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...