KANSAS CITY, Mo. and DALLAS, Jan. 5, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) will implement healthcare information technology (HIT) solutions from Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq:CERN) to advance Tenet's clinical information system capabilities and to help Tenet quality for stimulus incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.
"The agreement represents a further evolution of Tenet's Commitment to Quality. For the past several years, Tenet has been on a path to leverage technology to improve clinical quality and patient safety. By accelerating and expanding our implementation of Cerner Millennium(R) solutions we will be able to move more quickly from paper charts and manual processes to electronic health records. This evolution will enhance clinical decision support and the exchange of information with community healthcare providers," said Stephen L. Newman, M.D., Tenet's chief operating officer.
Cerner Millennium solutions will be used at 47 of the health system's 49 hospitals, allowing clinicians to:
* Immediately access a patient's electronic health record (EHR), that has real-time information about past visits, lab results and medication history from any location in the hospital; * Use computerized provider order entry (CPOE) to communicate, receive and take note of patient care decisions more efficiently and effectively; * Reduce the chance for medication errors using evidence-based rules and alerts embedded within the system; and * Create efficiencies through an automated workflow that eliminates time-intensive, duplicative processes and will help improve compliance with industry standards.
"The scalability of Cerner solutions will allow Tenet to expand their integrated HIT network to 47 hospitals in nine states," said Trace Devanny, Cerner president. "Cerner solutions will enable Tenet clinicians to use a proven, evidence-based system to facilitate communication and decrease potential sources of error by having access to the right information at the right time."
The Cerner Millennium healthcare computing platform provides secure access to an individual's EHR at the point of care and organizes information to meet the specific needs of care providers, front- and back-office professionals and consumers. Tenet will use Cerner solutions to track process outcomes and trends, as well as identify best practices to effectively manage complex clinical and operational processes, reduce costs and improve care.
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 Millennium and Cerner's logo. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, please visit our Web site at www.cerner.com.
About Tenet Healthcare Corporation
Tenet Healthcare Corporation is a health care services company whose subsidiaries and affiliates own and operate acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers. Tenet's hospitals and related health care facilities are committed to providing high quality care to patients in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit www.tenethealth.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 "will" 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; potential claims for system errors and warranties; 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 associated with our recruitment and retention of key personnel; risks related to our reliance on third party suppliers; changing political, economic and regulatory influences; government regulation; significant competition and market changes; and, failure of the parties to achieve the intended benefits. 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.