Cerner Applauds Bipartisan Health Information Technology Act; Bill Rep

    Business Editors

    KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2005--Cerner Corp., the worldwide leader in healthcare information technology, announced today its support of the bipartisan 21st Century Health Information Act, introduced by Congressmen Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) and Tim Murphy (R-PA).
    "This bill embraces a fundamental truth: We need to put a 'system' into healthcare," said Neal Patterson, chief executive officer of Cerner. "While U.S. healthcare produces miracles everyday, it also generates error, variance, and unnecessary waste. It is time to eliminate the paper-laden fragmentation that is the enemy of quality health outcomes for every American."
    The Institute of Medicine estimates that nearly 100,000 people die every year as a result of preventable medical errors, such as receiving incorrect medication or treatment. In addition, a study by the Rand Corp. found that healthcare consumers only receive recommended care about 55 percent of the time. Finally, the New England Journal of Medicine estimates that 31 percent of healthcare expenditures are wasted on administrative costs. When used properly, healthcare IT addresses these issues, streamlines record keeping, simplifies billing and allows for better decision making at the point of care. Currently, fewer than 15 percent of hospitals and physician practices are using electronic medical records.
    "It is my belief that the private sector ultimately will solve the looming healthcare crisis," Patterson said. "Policymakers can help by breaking down regulatory barriers and investing in strategies that will elevate safety and decrease costs. This legislation uses those twin levers to move us in the right direction."
    Since its inception, Cerner has pushed initiatives designed to share the national dialogue around healthcare information technology. In 2000, Cerner partnered with Winona Health in Winona, Minn., to connect citizens and healthcare providers and ultimately improve the health status of an entire community. Winona Health Online is the most comprehensive, community eHealth initiative launched, empowering the consumer with powerful personal health management technology and secure online connectivity.
    Cerner garnered the attention of the federal government in 2002 when it launched its biosurveillance solution, HealthSentry, which automatically collects critical biological information about potential disease outbreaks and immediately analyzes the data for specific patterns or trends. In October 2004, Cerner announced its plan to spend up to $25 million to electronically connect all children in the United States with type 1 diabetes to their doctors through personal health records and secure online messaging.
    "Both parties have embraced healthcare information technology," said Don Trigg, chief marketing officer and former Bush campaign and administration official. "As interest in the enactment of a bipartisan HIT bill gains momentum, we look forward to working with members of Congress to ensure that the private sector is a central element of any contemplated legislative approach."
    Recently, Cerner established a political action committee and hired Amanda Adkins as director of government affairs and Distie Profit as a federal government specialist. Adkins most recently served as campaign manager for U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and has extensive experience in the House and the Senate having served as legislative director to Congressman David Dreier (R-CA) and as professional staff on the U.S. House Rules Committee. Profit worked in the White House and as special assistant to former Homeland Security Tom Ridge.

    Cerner Corp. is taking the paper chart out of healthcare, eliminating error, variance and waste in the care process. With more than 1,500 clients worldwide, Cerner is the leading supplier of healthcare information technology. The following are trademarks of Cerner: Cerner, Cerner's logo, NASDAQ:CERN, www.cerner.com.

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CONTACT: Cerner Corp. Media: Tracy Richardson, 816-201-5042 tracy.richardson@cerner.com or Investors: Allan Kells, 816-201-2445 akells@cerner.com

KEYWORD: MISSOURI INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LEGAL/LAW GOVERNMENT MEDICAL SOURCE: Cerner Corp.

Copyright Business Wire 2005