Crisp Regional working with Cerner to implement new medical record, revenue systems

May 20--CORDELE -- Crisp Regional Health Inc. recently announced that it has selected Cerner to implement a new electronic health record and revenue cycle management solution system across its acute, ambulatory and post-acute facilities.

Officials said the collaboration will provide Crisp Regional a platform to connect its community through health care technology, an effort that will support streamlined operations and improved patient care.

"We are excited about our decision to move to Cerner," Jessica Carter, vice president and chief financial officer at Crisp Regional, said. "Cerner provides us with one integrated health record across all venues of care, supporting our goal of clinical and financial optimization throughout our system."

Crisp Regional will transition to Cerner Millennium, a health care information technology platform designed to support an individual's care journey -- from the doctor's office to the hospital and outpatient clinics -- with consistent patient engagement. Doctors and nurses are expected to have a more complete, near-real-time view of an individual's heath, and through the new online patient portal, patients and their families ought to be able to securely message doctors, schedule appointments, view and settle balances, and access their health history.

Officials said that with Cerner's revenue cycle management system, Crisp Regional clinicians will be able to view clinical and financial data in one patient record. In addition, Crisp Regional is expected to benefit from documentation that can improve reimbursement and limit claims errors.

"Crisp Regional is making an important investment in technology to keep pace with the rapidly changing health care landscape and provide comprehensive care to the people it serves," Cerner President Zane Burke said. "Cerner supports Crisp Regional's commitment to patient- and family-centered care at a reasonable cost, connecting health and social service facilities to create an improved patient experience."

Cerner CommunityWorks leverages cloud technology to deliver the power of Cerner Millennium, tailored to support the unique needs of community, critical access and specialty hospitals. The technology is utilized to help simplify the complexities of managing, operating and upgrading electronic health records.

Crisp Regional is expected to have access to Cerner's application management services, meaningful use and regulatory services, and evidence-based recommended workflows and content.

"Cerner CommunityWorks will bring Crisp Regional a sophisticated, single integrated health record across the continuum of care for all our patients, regardless of where they receive care in our system," Crisp Regional IT Director Mitch Hiers said. "While that's a welcome improvement for patients, physicians and clinicians, we also look forward to the many technological advancements it brings with it -- especially in terms of interoperability, decision support, population health and data analytics.

"The delivery model provides a number of advantages over our current system and should be easier to manage and support from an IT perspective."

Crisp Regional's network includes a home health program, two nursing homes totaling 243 beds, a retirement home, a hospice and home care program, a dialysis facility and rural health clinics in bordering areas. More than 50 physicians practice within Crisp Regional, providing hospital and outpatient care in family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, and 20-plus other specialties and subspecialties.

Crisp Regional Health Services oversees Crisp Regional Hospital with its Level 3 trauma center.

Cerner's health technologies connect people and information systems at more than 27,000 contracted provider facilities worldwide. It assists clinicians in making care decisions and 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 range of services to support clinical, financial and operational needs.

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