CareFusion, Cerner to Integrate Technologies for Improved Hospital Safety, Efficiency

SAN DIEGO and KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CareFusion (NYSE: CFN), a leading, global medical device company, and Cerner Corporation (Nasdaq: CERN), a global provider of health care solutions and services, today announced an agreement to closely integrate their market-leading technologies in a solution to help hospitals and health care providers deliver better patient care through greater system interoperability.

This agreement allows for improved data communication between CareFusion Pyxis® medication dispensing, supply and anesthesiology systems, and CareAware®, Cerner's integrated device connectivity architecture. This enhanced integration is expected to help reduce medication errors, improve clinician workflow and increase patient safety.

"This new relationship between Cerner and CareFusion is a significant step towards closing the current communication gap between healthcare devices and information technology that exists today," said William Spooner, chief information officer at Sharp Health Care, a seven-hospital system that is consistently ranked among the top integrated health care networks in the nation. "The health care environment is crowded with disparate devices and technologies that don't talk to each other and require manual steps by clinicians, which leads to duplication in workflow, a higher risk of medical errors and noncompliance with regulatory guidelines."  

Cerner and CareFusion are extending their interoperability expertise and experience by offering enhanced medication and supply management capabilities to existing and new Cerner and Pyxis clients. As an extension of Cerner's closed loop medication management strategy, Cerner will serve as a value added reseller of CareFusion Pyxis dispensing technologies in select accounts within Cerner's core electronic health record (EHR) installed base.

Together, the two companies will develop a Pyxis health IT adaptor, which is expected to support the integration of EHR systems and clinical information in the medication management, pharmacy and perioperative processes. This agreement is the first step in a broader intent to integrate CareFusion devices with Cerner systems.

"As the automation in health care expands at a rapid pace, it is imperative that we achieve a deeper level of interoperability across all providers," said Neal Patterson, Cerner chairman, CEO and co-founder. "Cerner believes that connecting dispensing systems to the EHR is critical to patient safety, and we are excited to be able to offer this connectivity to our clients across a broader range of devices. CareFusion is the clear leader in this market, and being able to offer their technology enhances the options available from Cerner for our clients."  

"This strategic agreement combines both companies' core competencies and directly aligns with our strategy to improve safety and the quality of care delivered to patients," said David Schlotterbeck, chairman and chief executive officer of CareFusion. "It's a decision that makes perfect business sense and will enable hospitals to close the loop between the clinical and logistical medication and supply management processes through the convergence of medical devices and health care information technology."  

About CareFusion Corporation

CareFusion (NYSE: CFN) is a global corporation serving the health care industry with products and services that help hospitals measurably improve patient care. The company develops market-leading technologies including Alaris® IV pumps, Pyxis® automated dispensing and patient identification systems, AirLife™, AVEA® and LTV® series of ventilators and respiratory products, ChloraPrep® skin prep products, MedMined™ services for infection surveillance, V. Mueller® and Snowden-Pencer® surgical instruments and NeuroCare diagnostic products. CareFusion employs more than 15,000 people across its global operations. More information may be found at www.carefusion.com.

About Cerner Corporation

Cerner is transforming healthcare by eliminating error, variance and waste for healthcare providers and consumers around the world. Cerner® solutions optimize processes for healthcare organizations ranging in size from single-doctor practices, to health systems, to entire countries, for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, and for the healthcare commerce system. These solutions are licensed by more than 8,500 facilities around the world, including approximately 2,300 hospitals; 3,400 physician practices covering more than 30,000 physicians; 600 ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 700 home-health facilities; and 1,500 retail pharmacies. The trademarks, service marks and logos (collectively, the "Marks") set forth herein are registered and unregistered trademarks and/or service marks owned by Cerner Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and certain other countries throughout the world. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, please visit our Web site at www.cerner.com.

Cautions concerning forward-looking statements:

CareFusion Corporation

This news release and the information contained herein contains forward-looking statements addressing expectations, prospects and other matters that are dependent upon future events or developments. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the integration of and data communication between CareFusion and Cerner products and systems, Cerner's service as a value-added reseller of CareFusion products, and future development and integration efforts by CareFusion and Cerner.  The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on the current expectations and assumptions of CareFusion and Cerner and not on historical facts. The following important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements:  the risk that the products and systems will not be integrated successfully and that CareFusion and Cerner fail to achieve the intended benefits of the agreement.  Additional factors that may affect future results are described in CareFusion's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2009 and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2009, and in Cerner's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 2, 2010. Except to the limited extent required by applicable law, CareFusion and Cerner undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Cerner Corporation

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties.  It is important to note that the Company's performance, and actual results, financial condition or business could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. The words "expected", "will", "believes" or the negative of these words, variations thereof or 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: the possibility of product-related liabilities; potential claims for system errors and warranties; the possibility of interruption at our data centers or client support facilities; our proprietary technology may be subject to claims for infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights of others, or may be infringed or misappropriated by others;  risks associated with our recruitment and retention of key personnel; risks related to our reliance on third party suppliers;  changing political, economic and regulatory influences; government regulation; significant competition and market changes; and, failure of the parties to achieve the intended benefits. 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.

SOURCE CareFusion Corporation