1. H.I.S.-
tory,
by Vince Ciotti
© 2013 by H.I.S. Professionals, LLC, all rights reserved.
Episode #109:
Cerner
Part 6
Neal & Cliff - 1987
Neal & Cliff - 2007

2. ERP “Gap” Quiz
• So how did you do in last week’s quiz on what other leading HIS
vendors besides Cerner did not write their own ERP system,
about the only gap in Cerner’s long line of HIS applications?
– We mean really integrated systems (written in the same
programming language, data base & OS, and running on the
same hardware platform), that have been self-developed
inhouse (not acquired, or a “partner” vendor’s system).
• It’s a bit of a trick question as the answer varies greatly by
product, with half of today’s vendors offering multiple HIS-es.
• So the next time someone tells you they’re on McKesson,
Siemens, Meditech, etc., be sure to ask them exactly whichof
their many products they’re on – it’s like owning a “GM” car…
• As the table on the next page shows, quelledifférence!

3. Today’s Leading Vendor ERP Status
VENDOR PRODUCTS WITHERP PRODUCTS WITHOUTERP
McKesson Star, Series, Paragon Horizon
Cerner Millennium
Siemens
MedSeries 4
Unity,Invision, Eagle, Soarian
Epic EpicCare
Allscripts Sunrise
GE Centricity
Meditech Magic, C/S, Release 6
NextGen Sphere
CPSI CPSI System
HMS General Financials
NTT (Keane) Optimum
Harris (QM) Affinity
Healthland Classic, APS Centriq (EHR only)

4. C-Suite Longevity
• Getting back to Cerner, Neal Paterson has been at their helm for
an amazingly long time, serving as the CEO for many years over
their 34 year history, and as Chairman for that entireperiod. Only
a few other HIS vendors can claim such consistency at the top:
– Neal Pappalardohas been Meditech’s Chairman for 44 years!
– Judy Faulkner has led Epic for its entire 34 year history.
– Jim Macaleer was SMS’ Chairman for 30 years (pre Siemens)
– Rich Tarrant led IDS/IDX for 30 years (1974 to 2004, pre GE)
• So who else served as Cerner’s CEO besides Neal? Interesting
question: remember the LIS search in Episode 107 (you can find
them all at hispros.com) that documented how Cerner rose to the
top of the LIS market so rapidly in the early nineties? We put
vendors through a pretty rigorous selection process that really
puts sales reps through their paces. Just who was Cerner’s rep at
the Wyoming Valley Health Care System selection in 1993?

5. Promoting From Within
• Actually, we were assigned a brand new rep right in
the middle of the process, who was brand new to
Cerner, having just joined their Washington, DC
office. We were a little concerned at how well a
brand new rep could coordinate all the demands we
made on KC regarding client lists, user manuals, site
visits, and our “strenuous” contractnegotiations…
• As you saw in that selection process, this new guy performed
superbly, beating out Sunquest, ALS and SMS in the process.
• His name? Trace Devanny– and he rose rapidly through the ranks
at Cerner after 1993, being promoted to CEO in 1999, in just 6
years! Trace had 17 years experience with IBM in the mid-Atlantic
region, so knew the sales game well. He also served as CEO and
COO at ADAC, so he knew the C-Suite game too. He led Cerner for
10 years until leaving in 2010 to head up The TriZetto Group

6. This Time An Outside Hire
• And just this week (9/4/2013), came news about Cerner’s 3rd CEO:

7. Growth Charts
• Zane Burke is facing an enormous challenge to keep Cerner
growing at its amazing pace, as illustrated in the following charts:
– First, Cerner’s annual revenue over the past 34 years:

8. “Associates”
• Reflecting Cerner’s team-building philosophy, employees are
referred to as “Associates” in KC, and their growth has been
amazing, from Neal, Cliff and Paul in 1979 to 12,000+ today:

9. Next Episode
• Many thanks again to the folks at Cerner for help with this
story,including Neal himself, who must have been rather busy
with the Zane Burke recruiting efforts yet introduced me to his
assistant:
– Vince .. I bet we can come with some old stuff .. April Martin is
brilliant and will help u .. my travel is taking me afar .. connect
in a couple of weeks .. good luck.• The HIS-tory of today’s vendorsconcludes with the
#1 vendor on everyone’s annual revenue charts
McKesson, who started way back in the 70s when
another founding trio left McAuto to form HBO:
- Walter Huff,Bruce Barrington, and Rich Owens
• If anyone knows theircontact info, or that of any
other old HBO(C) veterans, pleaseput them in
touch with me at: vciotti@hispros.com, 505/466-
4958 - they’ll get due credit (or blame!)