RIYADH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oct. 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) is the first health system outside of North America to achieve Stage 7 on the ambulatory Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAMSM) by HIMSS Analytics, the highest recognition for use of clinical information technology (IT) systems and advanced safety features to improve health outcomes and enhance the patient care experience.

KFSH&RC is Saudi Arabia’s first integrated digital hospital that successfully deployed the highest level of health IT.

“KFSH&RC shares Cerner’s belief that a solid health IT infrastructure is the foundation for improving the health and care of patients and the community. Being the first health care facility outside of the North America to reach Stage 7 is not only an honor, but a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our KFSH&RC leadership and colleagues, and the committed efforts of the Healthcare Information and Technology Affairs department,” said Osama Alswailem, MD, MA, chief information officer at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. “The Cerner Millennium® EHR supported our goal of providing integrated high-quality health care services to our patients. With Cerner solutions, our staff is equipped to make more informed decisions and access to the right patient information at the right time.”

One of the key success factors in achieving HIMSS Stage 7 for ambulatory was implementing Sehaty®, the patient portal developed by KFSH&RC, which allows patients to securely access their personal medical records and health data in an easy-to-use online environment. This interactive patient portal helps to improve the way patients communicate with providers.

In 2012, KFSH&RC was the first facility in the Middle East to achieve inpatient HIMSS Stage 6 recognition. Three years later, KFSH&RC achieved HIMSS Stage 6 for ambulatory. It was the first facility throughout the Middle East and Africa to earn this title.

“King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center is a longtime Cerner client, and we are extremely pleased for its HIMSS Stage 7 ambulatory achievement. This level of accomplishment does not come without many years of hard work and determination,” said Ali Slimani, senior director and general manager of Cerner Middle East and Africa. “We are delighted that Cerner Millennium is one of the key components that enabled KFSH&RC to receive such an honor. This puts the organization in a league of its own in regards to other EHRs in the region.”

More than 13 years ago, KFSH&RC launched an integrated clinical information system that enabled authorized users to capture, retrieve and share patient data seamlessly and helped the system increase patient quality, clinical outcomes and service excellence. Cerner has successfully implemented solutions in more than 20 KFSH&RC departments, including surgery, emergency, radiology, laboratory and patient access. KFSH&RC leaders will share their success story at Cerner’s Health Conference this month.

About King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSH&RC) is a state-of-the-art tertiary medical and research facility serving the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the surrounding region.

KFSH&RC took the grass-roots step, like many hospitals grappling with efficiency and quality in patient care, to reconcile multiple stand-alone legacy systems and implemented an integrated patient-centric electronic health record including Computerized Provider Order Entry system (CPOE). An outcome of this step produced one of the region’s first and largest Integrated Clinical Information Systems (ICIS). KFSHRC is the first client in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Cerner Millennium since 2002.

For further information about King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, visit http://www.kfshrc.edu.sa

About Cerner

Cerner‘s health information technologies connect people, information and systems at more than 18,000 facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help health care organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients’ clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities. On February 2, 2015, Cerner Corporation acquired substantially all of the assets, and assumed certain liabilities, of the Siemens Health Services business from Siemens AG. Nasdaq: CERN. For more information about Cerner, visit cerner.com, read our blog at cerner.com/blog, connect with us on Twitter at twitter.com/cerner and on Facebook at facebook.com/cerner.

Cerner Middle East has been transforming health care in the Middle East region for 25 years and currently staffs more than 200 associates in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar. Cerner Middle East works with more than 200 client facilities, including more than 50,000 users. For more information, please visit www.cerner-me.com and connect with us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cernerme.

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CONTACT: Cerner Middle East Media Contact:
         Vivian Gendy
         (971) 4 375 4894
         [email protected]
         
         Cerner Media Contact: Angela Vogen
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