Cerner, which has been going gangbusters on new EHR rollouts since the HITECH Act was passed, took a giant leap Wednesday with a groundbreaking at a new campus and the promise of 16,000 new jobs within the next decade.

Cerner's $4.45 billion project is in Kansas City, Mo. Its new Trails Campus is billed as the largest economic development project in the history of the state.

Founded in 1979, Cerner serves a range of clients from major hospitals to pharmaceutical and medical device companies to single-doctor practices.

Two of the company's most recent EHR projects are partnerships with Intermountain Healthcare in Salt Lake City and MedStar Health, which serves the Maryland and Washington D.C. area.

[See also: Intermountain signs sweeping EHR deal and MedStar taps Cerner for new EHR.]

The deal with MedStar calls for the health Systemto have access to all Cerner solutions and services throughout the healthcare provider's 10 hospitals and more than 3,000 beds, as well as its ambulatory and post-acute network.

In September 2013, Intermountain signed a multi-year contract with Cerner to deploy Cerner’s electronic medical record and revenue cycle technology across all of Intermountain’s hospitals and clinics.

In August this year, Cerner made a show stopping move when it announced it would buy Siemens' health IT unit for $1.3 billion in cash.

[See also: Cerner to buy Siemens health IT unit.]

Cerner solutions are licensed by more than 14,000 facilities worldwide, with the U.S. as its top market. Due to growing healthcare needs worldwide, Cerner announced plans last fall to expand its presence in Kansas City with the redevelopment of more than 290 acres in south Kansas City.

"Our new Trails Campus is an investment in the hometown Cerner planted roots in 35 years ago and a hub for innovation as we continue to fulfill our mission to improve health and care both globally and here in the Kansas City region," said Burke in a press statement announcing Cerner's new campus.

Cerner’s development will take place at the former site of the Bannister Mall, one of the largest malls in the Kansas City region in the 1980s that once featured 180 stores and provided employment for hundreds of residents. Due to changes in the area and newer and more desirable developments in the area, the mall became blighted, eventually closing its doors in 2007. The mall was demolished in 2009.

[See also: At Cerner, interoperability is personal.]

To assist Cerner with its expansion, the Missouri Department of Economic Development has authorized a strategic economic incentive package that the company can receive if it meets strict job creation and investment criteria. The City of Kansas City has also partnered with Cerner to help make the project possible.