Healthcare Authority and Cerner Working together
Brewton, AL - March 7, 2019
Cerner, a global leader in health care technology, is expanding further into the Alabama rural health care market through a new collaboration with the Escambia County Healthcare Authority (ECHA). ECHA's two hospitals, D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital in Brewton and Atmore Community Hospital in Atmore, and combined four clinics will soon switch to the Cerner Millennium® electronic health record (EHR) platform across all venues of care.
"After understanding the complications that come with disjointed EHR environments, the D.W. McMillan and Atmore teams, along with our board members, wanted to make a long-term decision for the Healthcare Authority system with a single EHR approach," said Nancy Lowery, board member, ECHA. "We are excited to collaborate with Cerner in this step toward further unifying our hospital systems to support the health care needs of our patients."
This will be the first time that ECHA's hospitals and clinics will operate under a unified EHR with a digital record of a patient's health history that includes clinical and financial information. ECHA will use Cerner CommunityWorksSM, a cloud-based delivery model designed to support the unique needs of community, critical access and specialty hospitals. CommunityWorks, which is built off years of industry and client recommended practices, can help address the unique set of challenges faced by patients and care teams at these hospitals.
"Connecting these two hospitals and their respective clinics through our CommunityWorks delivery model will be a major step forward for the health system. This change will revolutionize the way ECHA manages patient care, stores and accesses health records," said Mitchell Clark, president, CommunityWorks, Cerner. "We have a shared strategic vision with ECHA that's based around a dedication to interoperability and improved health care."
ECHA has also invested in Cerner's Revenue Cycle Management services, designed to optimize claims and billing processes. Each health system and its clinics will soon integrate Cerner's registration, scheduling, patient accounting, practice management solutions and transaction services into the EHR. Cerner will help ECHA streamline the financial experience for staff and patients while controlling cost to collect.
About Escambia County Alabama Healthcare Authority Board
The Escambia County Alabama Healthcare Authority Board is comprised of local county, city and community leaders appointed by the Escambia County, Alabama County Commission. Each member serves on the board as a volunteer and is responsible for governing all healthcare systems in Escambia County Alabama. These services include D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital, Atmore Community Hospital, D.W. McMillan EMS, Atmore Community Home Care, Atmore Med Plus, ACH Family Physicians, ACH Primary Care, Atmore Therapy Services, D.W. McMillan Home Medical Equipment, D.W. McMillan Home Health and the Flomaton Medical Center.
About Cerner
Cerner's health technologies connect people and information systems at more than 27,500 contracted provider facilities worldwide dedicated to creating smarter and better care for individuals and communities. Recognized globally for innovation, Cerner assists clinicians in making care decisions and assists organizations in managing the health of their populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help manage day-to-day revenue functions, as well as a wide range of services to support clinical, financial and operational needs, focused on people. For more information, visit Cerner.com, The Cerner Blog or connect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or The Cerner Podcast. Nasdaq: CERN. Smarter Care. Better Outcomes. Healthier You.
