Missouri hospital hands operational IT reins to Cerner
Western Missouri Medical Center, a county medical center the west-central portion of the state, will hand over responsibilities for information technology operations to Cerner, based in nearby Kansas City.
By enlisting Cerner to handle IT service delivery, WMMC will be able to optimize resources, drive efficiencies and get a better handle on technology costs, officials say.
The hospital has been a Cerner electronic health record client since 2013.
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"After several years working with Cerner through CommunityWorks, implementing and extending our use of Cerner Millennium to our ambulatory clinics and throughout the community, we decided that expanding our relationship to include Cerner’s IT services delivery and management gave us the best opportunity to deliver value and connect the health system," said Darinda Reberry, WMMC's president and CEO.
As the first CommunityWorks hospital to embrace such a partnership, WMMC will give Cerner operational responsibility for its IT department. Employees will all receive offers to become Cerner associates and continue working onsite at the Warrensburg, Missouri hospital.
In addition, Cerner will provide remote hosting, monitoring and system performance assessments to protect its EHR data and system availability – and help position the hospital for improved community health and stronger financial efficiencies.
Through the initiative, Cerner will help "further connect the community and deliver excellent IT services today and into the future," said Mitchell Clark, president of Cerner CommunityWorks.
Twitter: @MikeMiliardHITN
Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
