Longtime Cerner executive Zane Burke is stepping down from his role as president, the company announced on Monday.
Burke, who joined the EHR giant in 1996, will officially step down on Nov. 2. Burke has been the company’s president since 2013.
“Cerner has been a disruptive force of positive change across healthcare throughout its history, and I’m pleased with the accomplishments we’ve achieved together with our clients and the broader industry community,” Burke said in a statement. “Complex and evolving challenges remain, and Cerner is uniquely positioned to continue innovating for the good of consumers and healthcare providers.”
Burke, who occupied several executive-level positions throughout his time with Cerner, primarily in client relations, was notably passed over for the company’s CEO position. Instead, the board appointed former Philips executive Brent Shafer to lead the company following the death of longtime CEO and co-founder Neal Patterson.
6-12 months it was! https://t.co/WVfzSANLaz
— Andrew Freedman, CFA (@HedgeyeHIT) September 10, 2018
John Peterzalek, Cerner’s executive vice president of worldwide client relationships, will assume Burke’s duties immediately as chief client officer, the company said.
RELATED: Cerner appoints Philips executive Brent Shafer as CEO
“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,” Shafer said in a statement. "I am very confident in the capabilities of Cerner’s strong and experienced leadership team.”
Cerner's stock dropped 1% Monday morning.
I’m incredibly honored to have helped lead Cerner’s growth over the past 22 years, and I’m confident that Cerner will continue to positively shape the future of health care for the benefit of us all… https://t.co/XqZXyIQcbD pic.twitter.com/7GFxi9OPtT
— Zane Burke (@zanemburke) September 10, 2018
As part of his severance package, Burke will receive his regular biweekly salary payments for the next two years, totaling $2.9 million. The company will also accelerate the vesting of 365,400 unvested stock options and 82,080 unvested restricted stock units, plus any performance-based cash incentive payments not yet paid by the company.
Burke’s departure comes as Cerner begins navigating a 10-year, $10 billion EHR upgrade for the Department of Veterans Affairs.