To Enhance the Care Experience, WMCHealth and Cerner Form Strategic Alliance

The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), the pre-eminent provider of integrated healthcare services in New York's Hudson Valley, and Cerner, a global leader in healthcare technology, today announced a 10-year strategic alliance that will support WMCHealth in building upon its industry-leading care experience for its patients, their caregivers and workforce.

Under the alliance, WMCHealth will roll out Cerner's integrated electronic health record (EHR) system and services at its Valhalla and Poughkeepsie campuses, including its flagship Westchester Medical Center, as well as network members Maria Fareri Children's Hospital – the advanced care pediatric center for the Hudson Valley, the Behavioral Health Center and MidHudson Regional Hospital. This will lay the groundwork for a network-wide EHR system. With the help of Cerner, Westchester Medical Center will become a showcase site for cutting-edge IT solutions and services.

"This alliance with Cerner will enable us to craft a new model of healthcare IT service that will provide the latest and best resources for WMCHealth's workforce," said Michael D. Israel, President and CEO, WMCHealth. "New systems and technologies will be supporting staff members that care for many of the region's most critically ill and injured residents. These new tools will help drive clinical integration, increase accuracy and efficiency and support higher quality care and lead to better outcomes." Additionally, Cerner will provide IT service delivery for the EHR system. WMCHealth will benefit from Cerner's 40 years of experience through its relationships with other academic medical centers and health systems.

"WMCHealth and Cerner share a vision of how to effectively use health IT solutions to support improved outcomes and patient experience," said Dick Flanigan, President, Cerner Health Services. "Our alignment emphasizes putting the person at the center of our work together to drive innovation. This relationship will help WMCHealth to focus on its mission of delivering exceptional care, while knowing they have an expert team to focus on the delivery of IT."