KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- University of Missouri Health Care (MU Health Care) this month opened a new 85,512 square-foot facility, the South Providence Medical Park building, in south Columbia, Mo., designed with the needs of patients and their families in mind. MU Health Care collaborated with Cerner Corp., one of the nation's largest health information technology (IT) suppliers, from initial design development meetings to ensure the new facility would be patient-centered and technology-enabled.
From the start, development focused on how to design the space to efficiently deliver care. MU Health Care included physicians, resident physicians, nurses, mothers and children to add patient perspective in the design. MU Health Care then consulted with Cerner to design the technology needed to deliver care to the patient, not the patient to the care.
"Through the entire design and construction process, it was important to us to balance personal touch and high technology," said Thomas Selva, MD, chief medical information officer for MU Health Care, medical director for the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation, and division chief for General Academic Pediatrics. "We could not have done this without our Cerner partners at the table when our facility design was still on paper."
MU Health Care expects 100,000 outpatient visits to the clinic this year – one-sixth of the organization's projected 2015 outpatient volume. Although hospitals today are facing shrinking volumes, MU Health Care's outpatient volumes have jumped 26 percent the past six years.
Cerner is implementing a variety of IT systems to help propel MU health care toward its high-volume goal, including PowerChart Ambulatory™ as the acute Electronic Health Records system, Cerner Instant Access™ for smooth roaming login and CareAware Tracking™ to tag and track devices in the facility.
"Our relationship with MU Health Care has led both organizations to incredible health care advancements," said Joanne Burns, senior vice president and chief strategy officer of Cerner. "They are leading the health care community in bringing care to the patient and engaging patients in their own care."
MU Health Care's South Providence Medical Park building at 551 E. Southampton Drive will be the new home for three outpatient clinics, including family medicine, general pediatrics and psychiatry. It houses a nearly 2,000-square-foot pharmacy with drive-through services, a laboratory, and radiology and imaging services.
About Cerner
Cerner's health information technologies connect people, information and systems at more than 14,000 facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help health care organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients' clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner's mission is to contribute to the improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities. (Nasdaq:CERN). For more information about Cerner, visit cerner.com, read our blog at cerner.com/blog, connect with us on Twitter at twitter.com/cerner and on Facebook at facebook.com/cerner.
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About University of Missouri Health Care
As part of the state's premier academic medical center, University of Missouri Health Care offers a full spectrum of care, ranging from primary care to highly specialized, multidisciplinary treatment for patients with the most severe illnesses and injuries. Patients from each of Missouri's 114 counties are served by approximately 5,500 physicians, nurses and health care professionals at MU Health Care. MU Health Care facilities include Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, a member of the MD Anderson Cancer Network®, as well as the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, the Missouri Psychiatric Center, University Hospital, and Women's and Children's Hospital in Columbia. More than 50 MU Health Care outpatient clinics in central Missouri receive outpatient visits exceeding 500,000 annually.