Legacy Health System Creates Digital Hospital; High-tech Setting Offers Clinicians Rapid Access to Vital Information

Business Wire, Oct 10, 2005

KANSAS CITY, Mo. & VANCOUVER, Wash. -- As many hospitals around the country are embracing healthcare information technology, Legacy Health System is leading the way. Legacy Health System and Cerner Corp. are working together on Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, the region's first digital hospital.

"We are ushering in a new era of healthcare, where people, not their paper charts, are at the center of care," said C. Matthew Calais, acting president and chief executive officer, Legacy Health System. "The integration of electronic medical records throughout Legacy Salmon Creek gives our clinicians instant access to records from any location. With information technology, this hospital will provide the most up-to-date, accurate health records to improve the lives of those in its care."

More than 15 Cerner(R) solutions--all operating together through the company's unified architecture, Cerner Millennium(R)--electronically connect Legacy Salmon Creek's 500 physicians with the hospital and the many other services provided within the Legacy system. By automating the latest in clinical data, clinicians are able to make informed decisions and spend more time delivering personal care, in lieu of chasing a paper chart.

"Visionary commitment to healthcare IT has turned Legacy Salmon Creek into a reality," said Trace Devanny, president, Cerner. "In a digital environment, clinicians will have real-time access to relevant information at the point of care. The end result is safer, higher quality care."

Legacy Salmon Creek unifies its clinical, laboratory, pharmacy, radiology and surgery departments through the use of electronic health records that track a person's health history and hospital stay. In a digital environment, physicians are able to explain treatment by pulling up medical information at the bedside to show the results of tests or laboratory work, making the patients active participants in the care process.

Beyond the removal of cumbersome paper records, Cerner's digital healthcare approach enables the continuous evolution of care, empowering all who touch the care process to achieve the optimal health experience. Cerner has more than 4,300 Cerner Millennium solutions live at nearly 860 client facilities around the world.

Legacy Health System, which provides an integrated network of healthcare services in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area, is the largest Oregon-based, not-for-profit healthcare system. The Legacy system provides an integrated network of healthcare services, including acute and critical care, inpatient and outpatient treatment, community health education and a variety of specialty services. Legacy Health System was formed in 1989 by the merger of Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, and HealthLink.

Legacy Health System's Linda Dennis, Manager of Financial Systems, and Susan Dorsey, Imaging Manager, will speak on Legacy's use of healthcare IT at the Cerner Health Conference. More than 3,000 physicians, nurses, clinicians and industry experts will attend the Cerner Health Conference. The conference features 300 educational sessions, combining industry and solution knowledge, and a Solutions Gallery with nearly 100 partners and suppliers. The Cerner Health Conference will run Oct. 9 through 12, at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Cerner Corp. is taking the paper chart out of healthcare, eliminating error, variance and waste in the care process. With more than 1,500 clients worldwide, Cerner is the leading supplier of healthcare information technology. The following are trademarks of Cerner: Cerner, Cerner Millennium, Cerner's logo. NASDAQ: CERN, www.cerner.com.

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