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Cerner Plays Host to Sen. Brownback for Healthcare Discussion

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 15:00 CDT

Senator Sam Brownback addressed community leaders and Cerner Corp. associates Tuesday at the company's Northland headquarters with details on several healthcare bills he plans to introduce in the United States Senate.

The package of healthcare legislation includes efforts to allow expanded access to care for those with life-threatening diseases, plans to encourage up-front care cost information for patients and families, and a market-driven approach to building a national health information network. The package of healthcare bills shares a common theme -- bolstering the role of the healthcare consumer in the care process.

Cerner, the nation's leading provider of healthcare IT, applauds Brownback's focus on consumer-driven care. As one of the larger employers in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Cerner empowers its more than 7,000 associates to make educated healthcare decisions by providing them with as much information as possible about preventative care, potential treatments, healthcare plans and medication maintenance. Both internally with its associates, and externally with clients and consumers, Cerner is improving the quality of patient healthcare while managing the rising costs.

"As both an employer and a business partner, we are committed to transforming healthcare," said Trace Devanny, Cerner president. "Our vision in the coming years is to take this consumer-centric approach beyond the hospitals and clinics, to the national level. We support Senator Brownback's pledge to help improve care and mend the system for all Americans."

Regionally, Cerner is one of several leading Kansas City companies involved in the creation of Healthe Mid-America, the first employer-driven community health record (CHR) in the United States. By linking major employers in the metropolitan area, Healthe Mid-America will ensure vital patient information is available to providers as they treat associates and their dependents throughout the region. The CHR is expected to be ready for use in 2006. Also, last week the state of Kansas, along with Cerner and FirstGuard, announced a CHR pilot program for Sedgwick County's Medicaid population. The program will create a patient-centered record of aggregated health data that provides a quick summary of key clinical activity and is available to providers, clinics and emergency rooms free of charge.

Locally, Cerner opened the Healthe Clinic on its campus for its associates and their families. The Cerner Clinic is easily accessible, convenient and offers a nearly 12 percent discount on most medications. Associates enjoy the lower costs and improved healthcare while Cerner also benefits from reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity. To that end, nearly 73 percent of Cerner associates have enrolled in the company's health reimbursement account insurance plan.

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. NASDAQ: CERN. www.cerner.com.

Source: Business Wire

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