NCCN and Cerner Collaborate to Improve Oncology Care

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., March 4, 2008 � The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced today its collaboration with Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ:CERN) to provide evidence-based care guidelines for patients with cancer to healthcare organizations utilizing the Cerner Millennium� healthcare computing platform.

�These efforts represent a continuing collaboration to integrate Cerner�s significant capabilities in electronic medical records with NCCN�s multidisciplinary expertise in oncology care,� said Joan McClure, NCCN Senior Vice President of Clinical Information & Publications. �As a result, health professionals will be provided with ready access to the standard of care as outlined in the NCCN Guidelines.�

The collaboration integrates the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology�, Drugs and Biologics Compendium� and Standard Chemotherapy Order Templates� into the Cerner Millennium healthcare computing platform. NCCN�s Guidelines are used by clinicians to shape care recommendations for 97 percent of all patients with cancer and are updated on a continual basis. These guidelines, developed through an explicit review of evidence and input from medical experts, address cancer detection, prevention and risk reduction, workup and diagnosis, and treatment and supportive care. The companion Drugs and Biologics Compendium delineates uses of drugs and biologics in the care of patients with cancer, listing FDA-approved disease indications and specific NCCN recommendations for use.

�Broad-based computerized applications like this provide physicians immediate access to vital information so they can manage patient care effectively,� said Ed Martinez, Vice President Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, FL. �With a library of NCCN resources embedded in the software, the system now empowers physicians to treat patients in accordance with best practices by providing them a tool to guide them through the process.�

NCCN�s Guidelines outline the standard of care for the vast majority of patients and the system developed with Cerner will make it easy to provide guideline-adherent care.

�Working with NCCN gives Cerner the opportunity to utilize our strengths in healthcare IT to provide clinicians with the evidence-based information they need to provide care for patients with cancer,� said Trace Devanny, Cerner president. �Incorporating the NCCN care guidelines into the Cerner Millennium platform gives clinicians real-time access to care guidelines for oncology patients from any access point in the hospital setting.�

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network^® (NCCN^®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. For more information, visit NCCN.org.

The NCCN Member Institutions are:

City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
Duke Cancer Institute
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance
The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Stanford Cancer Institute
University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Colorado Cancer Center
University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center