Cerner Announces IQHealth Partnership to Improve Health Status of Midwest City Through Powerful Internet Connections.

Business Editors, Health & Medical Writers

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BW HealthWire)--June 12, 2000

Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ: CERN) today announced Winona Health Online, an unprecedented effort by IQHealth(TM), Winona Health and Hiawatha Broadband Communications to connect citizens and healthcare providers and ultimately improve the health status of an entire community.

Winona Health Online is the most comprehensive, community eHealth initiative launched, empowering the consumer with powerful personal health management technology.

Winona Health Online is a long-term, strategic partnership between IQHealth and community partners Winona Health and Hiawatha Broadband Communications (HBC) to connect the healthcare community and citizens of Winona, Minnesota, through advanced Internet technology and other interactive personal health management tools and services. Through Winona Health Online, clinical data from Winona's Community Memorial Hospital, physicians, acute care facilities, long-term care facilities, and hospital and clinic laboratories will automatically populate the personal health records of participating Winona citizens.

"The power of the Internet will significantly improve the way healthcare is delivered at the local level by connecting the home to health providers and information," said Robert E. Watson, Cerner Vice President and General Manager of IQHealth. "To pioneer this shift to a more involved consumer, we searched for a city with a strong healthcare community, a population that valued knowledge and innovation, and leadership that embraced technology as a means to establish meaningful, ongoing relationships with its citizens. We found all of these attributes in Winona, Minnesota."

"IQHealth is devoted to delivering personal health management solutions, content and services to assist innovative healthcare organizations like Winona Health in the creation of a locally branded Internet health exchange," said Watson. "Healthcare providers in Winona, including the local hospital, residential care facilities, clinics and physicians, will derive benefit from rapid access to patient information, enhanced decision-making capabilities, increased patient safety through online drug interaction checking, and more effective patient communications. In addition, physicians will have the ability to securely exchange clinical and health information with consumers and other providers, verify patient eligibility information and submit claims electronically through our partnership with CareInsite," said Watson. "Each citizen participant will have his or her own interactive personal health record, available online to both the individual and his or her physician(s) and accessible from anywhere in the world through a secure, trusted connection."

"Winona Health Online will allow our citizens to play an active role in their healthcare," said Gary W. Evans, Winona Health Board Chairman and President of HBC. "What an innovative model it is for people to proactively manage their health and that of their families. A role that allows my physician to know exactly how I'm feeling and the types of things that concern me in advance of the visit, will allow the visit to be more efficient and effective for both me and my physician. This project and our partnership with Cerner depict our focus upon optimum healthcare for the Winona community, allowing professionals and consumers to partner and raise healthcare to a new level of excellence. We are thrilled about this opportunity to create new connections and a healthier Winona as a model for other communities."

"Over the next 60-90 days, we will evaluate the health status of the community through online health assessments, clinical and financial indicators and other means, as well as develop methodology to reassess outcomes on an annual basis," said Watson. "Further, we will collaborate with the local physician community to identify specific populations of Winonans with two chronic and prevalent clinical conditions as participants in a five-year examination of the positive affects of Winona Health Online's personal health management technology upon health status."

"All of us in Winona and the surrounding area will benefit greatly from Winona Health Online as consumers of health," said Patrick M. Booth, Chief Executive Officer of Winona Health. "By the end of 2000, participants will have an individual, secure and confidential health web page that is continually updated with personal medical information including test results, enabling more proactive healthcare decision-making and higher-quality care."

"For our physician community, Winona Health Online will improve communications between physicians and consumers," said Chuck A. Shepard, M.D., Winona Health Medical Director. "We are also extremely encouraged by the prospect of improving access to clinical data by merging existing databases so that we no longer have to search records manually for lab results, x-ray results, outside consultant letters and other data. Better information will mean more informed decision-making at the point of care, further ensuring quality care for our community."

According to Evans, 60 percent of Winona residents are online, 20 percent more than the national average. Winona's technology focus moves well beyond Winona Health Online to its virtual schools, high- speed cable modem access to all Winona residents at minimal cost, online community discussion forums, highly advanced technological educational facilities and Winona State University, one of the nation's first laptop institutions. Though Winona is removed physically from major metropolitan areas, it recognized the need for growth and adaptation with the information age in 1993 and launched Luminet, an initiative to provide state-of-the-art technology access to all Winona residents. "We have chosen to integrate technology into our lives for the betterment of our citizens and our community," said Evans.

"While this is the initial public announcement of Winona Health Online, the project is fully underway with significant progress planned for the next 60-90 days," said Watson. "With Cerner's 20 years of clinical knowledge capital, IQHealth's new technology, and the cooperation of our community partners in Winona, we expect the evolution of this project to serve as a model for the new health enterprise, truly impacting the lives of Winona residents and other communities who follow suit."

Cerner Corporation (www.cerner.com) is the leading supplier of clinical and management information and knowledge systems to more than 1,000 healthcare organizations worldwide. Cerner's mission is to connect the appropriate persons, knowledge, and resources at the appropriate time and location to achieve the optimal health outcome. Cerner's vision of proactive healthcare management drives innovation today, while creating a foundation for tomorrow's healthy populations. With HNA Millennium(R), Cerner has developed a comprehensive suite of solutions that promote personal and community health management by providing the link between individuals and the care process. HNA Millennium applications work on a cohesive platform that is open, intelligent and scalable. This allows for communication, access, and data to be shared throughout the healthcare community. The following are trademarks and/or service marks of Cerner Corporation: Cerner, Cerner's logo and IQHealth.

This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. It is important to note that the Company's performance, financial condition or business could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The words "should," "will be," "intended," "continue," "believe," "may," "expect," "hope," "anticipate," "goal," "forecast" and 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: variations in the Company's quarterly operating results, volatility of the Company's stock price, market risk of investments, changes in the healthcare industry, significant competition, the Company's proprietary technology may be subjected to infringement claims or may be infringed upon, regulation of the Company's software by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other government regulation, the possibility of product-related liabilities, possible failures or defects in the performance of the Company's software, the possibility that the Company's anti-takeover defenses could delay or prevent an acquisition of the Company, and uncertainties related to the Year 2000. 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.