Children's Mercy Selects Cerner as Clinical Information System Partner; Collaboration will put hospital at leading edge of efficiency and patient safety.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, the region's pediatric healthcare center, has selected Cerner Corp. as its partner for clinical information systems. Cerner will unify the hospital's nursing, allied health, physician, emergency, intensive care, radiology, pharmacy, imaging, surgery and laboratory departments through the use of electronic health records that track a person's health history and hospital stay.

"Children's Mercy and Cerner make a strong team through our commitment to caring for all children," said Randall O'Donnell, Ph.D., president and CEO of Children's Mercy. "Cerner has a proven track record, and its healthcare IT solutions, combined with our pediatric expertise and vision, will mean a brighter future for the children and families we serve."

Cerner and Children's Mercy are committed to improving the health of children by providing care that is specific to the unique intricacies of pediatric care. From allergies to weight-based medication dosing, clinicians rely on accurate information at the point of care to safeguard their patients and make important decisions on daily treatment. Cerner Millennium(R) solutions will provide Children's Mercy with pediatric-specific content and capabilities throughout the care continuum to continue to improve the delivery of safe, efficient, high-quality pediatric care.

Cerner Millennium solutions will make the healthcare process safer and more efficient for the patients who visit Children's Mercy more than 340,000 times a year. Children's Mercy is already recognized as a top-10 pediatric hospital by Child magazine and a magnet-designated hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Cerner's state-of-the-art information technology solutions will reinforce the hospital's status as one of the top pediatric facilities in the country.

Children's Mercy plans to work collaboratively with Cerner for analysis and performance measurement of several core clinical pediatric conditions. Children's Mercy will join a group of Cerner's client partners that will utilize Cerner's data warehouse and health intelligence solution to measure clinical target performance and process improvement objectives. As part of this initiative, Children's Mercy is working with Cerner to establish baseline measurements of key performance indicators pre- and post-conversion to ensure Cerner Millennium solutions are helping the hospital achieve its organizational goals.

"Children's Mercy and Cerner share a commitment to improving the health of the children of this area," said Neal L. Patterson, CEO and chairman of Cerner. "We are excited about the opportunity to partner with this world-class organization in Kansas City."

The strategic agreement was signed in the second quarter of 2004.

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's logo, Cerner Millennium, NASDAQ: CERN, www.cerner.com.