KANSAS CITY, Mo., Oct. 6, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are collaborating with Cerner to create the Flu Pandemic Initiative, a secure, HIPAA-compliant, rapid detection network for the influenza virus, including H1N1. The new initiative will supply each state's public health department, Cerner (Nasdaq:CERN) clients and the CDC with situational awareness information to help communities triage resources. Currently it takes up to four days to aggregate this information; now it can be available in near-real time.
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"We face a situation fraught with uncertainty. However, with assistance from organizations such as you and your clients, we will prepare for whatever comes our way," Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius wrote in a letter to Cerner. "We look forward to engaging with you further in the critical days and months ahead."
Through the Flu Pandemic Initiative, Cerner can provide public health organizations and Cerner clients with valuable near real-time data to assist in monitoring health trends and to help officials more rapidly deploy resources to contain the influenza virus.
The initiative will not replace existing public health reporting requirements, but it will help all participants and other public health organizations make decisions based on summarized information from an integrated, national, Cerner-based network of clinical systems.
Public health experts suggest the likelihood of a severe H1N1 outbreak in the U.S. this fall is significant -- a scenario that could place unprecedented demands on our public health system and result in greater levels of serious illness and death.
"The CDC told us that before now, this data would have taken days to compile and would have already been out of date as soon as it was released," said Neal Patterson, Cerner chairman and CEO. "There is a better way. We connect more than 30 percent of healthcare to track the spread of influenza and to provide analytical data to enable a more rapid response."
Cerner's clients, who represent one-third of the U.S. healthcare system, have agreed to feed summarized, non patient-specific, HIPAA compliant data into specially designed software that will aggregate and organize it for use nationally, as well as locally and regionally. Cerner is providing the software, aggregation and dissemination services without charge to the providers and government officials. Currently more than 700 facilities in 46 U.S. states have agreed to participate; more than 200 are already contributing data.
"There are few companies that have the broad national reach that we have. Cerner is leading this significant effort to help track, manage and respond to the influenza virus because it's the right thing to do," said Patterson. "By gathering in near real-time, it is our hope that the agencies and healthcare professionals fighting this disease will be better prepared to contain it and save more lives."
"Being a part of a nationwide network that can allow us to see where flu hot spots are in near real time will be very valuable in helping us anticipate healthcare needs in the communities we serve," said Terrence O'Rourke, chief clinical officer and executive vice president of Trinity Health, one of the nation's largest Catholic health systems with 45 hospitals in eight states. "This integrated network will help healthcare providers across the United States understand when demand for services will likely spike, be ready to meet that increased demand and provide quality care to their patients."
O'Rourke added that data will be shared via a secured network to ensure the confidentiality of personally identifiable patient information.
About Cerner
Cerner is transforming healthcare by eliminating error, variance and waste for healthcare providers and consumers around the world. Cerner(R) solutions optimize processes for healthcare organizations ranging in size from single-doctor practices, to health systems, to entire countries, for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and for the healthcare commerce system. These solutions are licensed by more than 8,000 facilities around the world, including approximately 2,100 hospitals; 3,300 physician practices covering more than 30,000 physicians; 500 ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 600 home-health facilities; and 1,500 retail pharmacies. The following are trademarks of Cerner: Cerner, Cerner's logo and Cerner Millennium. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, please visit our Web site at www.cerner.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. It is important to note that the Company's performance, and actual results, financial condition or business could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The words "hope", "will", "could" or the negative of these words, variations thereof or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the possibility of product-related liabilities; the possibility of interruption at our data centers or client support facilities; our proprietary technology may be subject to claims for infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights of others, or may be infringed or misappropriated by others; risks related to our reliance on third party suppliers; changing political, economic and regulatory influences; government regulation; and failure to reach the intended synergies. Additional discussion of these and other factors affecting the Company's business is contained in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results, financial condition or business over time.