Cerner Corporation and Protocare, Inc. Announce Strategic Partnership.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BW HealthWire)--Aug. 7, 2000

Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq:CERN), the world's leading clinical health care information technology company, and Protocare, Inc., a premier site management and health care consulting organization serving pharmaceutical, payor and provider clients, today announced the creation of a strategic partnership.

Cerner has acquired an equity interest of less than 10 percent in Protocare and the two companies have entered into a strategic relationship and cross-marketing agreement. Cerner and Protocare will leverage their combined strengths, including Cerner's clinical content and solutions and Protocare's experience in clinical trial research, data analytics and disease management. Prior to its founding, Protocare had a distinguished history as Value Health Sciences, a subsidiary of Value Health, Inc. before it was acquired by Columbia HCA. The management of Value Health Sciences, in conjunction with a number of leading venture capital firms, purchased the company from Columbia in 1998. The group then founded Protocare and introduced a second line of business focused on clinical research.

Cerner's clients will benefit from access to Protocare's clinical trial, consulting and analytic services. Cerner clients will also benefit from improved management of clinical trials at their healthcare organizations. Cerner will serve as a preferred partner for Protocare, providing services and software that enable effective "eCare" programs for Protocare's pharmaceutical clients and other organizations. The clientele of both organizations will benefit from expanded knowledge sharing, data sources and data management capabilities.

"Cerner has always believed it could leverage its technologies within the pharmaceutical services marketplace," said Neal L. Patterson, Chairman and CEO of Cerner. "Cerner's strategic agreement with Protocare is an excellent way to enter into this market. The strength of Protocare's management team and the company's sophisticated approach to clinical trials, data mining and health services consulting is unparalleled and complements our leading-edge clinical technologies to make healthcare smarter, safer and more efficient."

"Partnering with Protocare is a natural extension for Cerner as we leverage our $250 million investment in the development of HNA Millennium(R), the industry's most comprehensive and integrated suite of clinical and management information systems and content," said Patterson. "HNA Millennium is uniquely capable of automating the recruitment of clinical trials and later, clinical trial management, which presents a tremendous value proposition for our provider clients. Select Cerner clients will be able to further capitalize on their HNA Millennium functionality to generate additional revenue through increased clinical trials."

"One of the key roles of academic medical centers is to serve as catalysts for the development of new knowledge," said Dr. Charles L. Rice, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "Maintaining the necessary records and safeguarding our patients' well-being are key responsibilities for those centers that engage in such research. Cerner provides important support for our clinical endeavors. We are optimistic that Protocare's strengths in the management of clinical trials will further our pharmacological research as we strive for excellence in this area."

Similarly, Protocare clients will benefit from advanced Cerner technology. "In addition to opportunities in clinical research, the IQHealth (Cerner's eHealth business unit) call center and disease management software and services offer low-cost and high-touch technology solutions that will be of significant benefit to Protocare clients," said Protocare President and Chief Operating Officer, Jackie Kosecoff. "From design to implementation, Cerner and Protocare will offer clients a broad range of relationship management solutions."

"Through this new partnership, Protocare's thriving clinical trials business will be expanded to include both inpatient and outpatient clinical trials with Cerner clients," said Joe Sullivan, Protocare Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "This relationship enables us to take Protocare's business model to the next level through significant revenue generation opportunities in clinical trials, consulting and analytic services, accelerating our mission to advance quality and cost-effective care. We are also very pleased that Glenn Tobin, Chief Operating Officer of Cerner, has agreed to join the Protocare Board of Directors. The created synergy between Cerner and Protocare opens doors for both organizations."

Protocare, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Protocare Trials and Protocare Sciences (formerly Value Health Sciences), have a combined mission to advance the quality and cost-effectiveness of health care through clinical trials research, data analytics and disease management consulting. Protocare is a privately held company headquartered in Santa Monica, California.

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. The company's vision is to improve the health of communities through innovation and investments in information technology. Cerner strives to transform the healthcare delivery system by increasing the quality of care, improving efficiencies, eliminating medical error and connecting the individual to the system with innovative information solutions. HNA Millennium is Cerner's comprehensive suite of solutions that promote personal and community health management by connecting consumers, clinicians and healthcare organizations into a streamlined, unified single care process. HNA Millennium applications work on a cohesive platform that is open, intelligent and scalable, allowing vital health information to be accessed and shared throughout the healthcare system. Cerner...we make healthcare smarter. Cerner and HNA Millennium are trademarks of Cerner.

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.