RANKIN, Texas, April 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rankin County Hospital District (RCHD) has implemented an integrated electronic health record (EHR) with Cerner, a global leader in health care technology, to support improved patient and clinician experiences. The Cerner Millennium^® EHR provides the hospital with sophisticated health care technology that will support RCHD doctors, nurses and staff as they work to streamline operations and improve patient care.

“With total buy-in from physicians and staff combined with strong support from administration and our board of directors, we are beyond excited to begin using Cerner’s technology to further our mission,” said Jim Horton, CEO, RCHD. “RCHD’s strong and productive relationship with Cerner staff resulted in an incredibly smooth go-live that will lead to our patients and community seeing the benefits that sophisticated health care solutions can have on individual well-being and community health.”

“One place we noticed an immediate impact was in our daily revenue cycle meetings,” said Horton. “We are now able to reconcile the previous day’s revenue very accurately and our meetings are getting shorter and shorter, freeing us up to handle other parts of our operations.”

RCHD’s new EHR is deployed through the Cerner CommunityWorks℠ model that leverages cloud technology to deliver the power of Cerner Millennium, tailored to support the unique needs of community, critical access and specialty hospitals. CommunityWorks will support RCHD’s 15-bed critical access hospital as it provides comprehensive care to the Rankin community through its emergency services, family practice medical clinic, outpatient lab, acute care and more.

“With an integrated EHR now in use by RCHD clinicians, they will be able to promote the health and wellness of the Rankin community in new and exciting ways,” said Mitchell Clark, president, CommunityWorks, senior vice president, Cerner. “RCHD has seen some great early successes since their implementation and we cannot wait to see how they will use the unified system to improve the health of the people they serve.”

RCHD staff will now be able to view a digital record of their patients’ health history, including clinical and financial data. Doctors and nurses will have a more complete, near real-time view of an individual’s heath to support improved health outcomes for the community. Cerner Millennium will also support improved patient engagement. Through the new online patient portal, people will be able to securely message doctors, schedule appointments, view and settle balances and access their health history.

“The implementation of an integrated EHR is an excellent first step in RCHD’s journey to improve care and streamline the patient experience,” said Zane Burke, president, Cerner. “RCHD has the tools to continue to provide high-quality services and support to patients and the entire community, as well as encourage people to take an active role in their health.”

About Rankin County Hospital District
Located in Rankin, Texas, RCHD provides services designed to meet the health and wellness needs of a unique, West Texas community. The state-of-the-art facility, paired with a highly trained staff, allows for consistent quality and a superior patient experience.

About Cerner
Cerner’s health technologies connect people and information systems at more than 27,000 contracted provider facilities worldwide dedicated to creating smarter and better care for individuals and communities. Recognized globally for innovation, Cerner assists clinicians in making care decisions and assists 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 wide range of services to support clinical, financial and operational needs, focused on people. For more information, visit Cerner.com, The Cerner Blog or connect on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter or The Cerner Podcast. Nasdaq: CERN. Smarter Care. Better Outcomes. Healthier You.

Media Contact:
Rankin County Hospital District
Corey Owens, M.Ed., Marketing & Community Relations, cowens@rankincountyhospital.org

Cerner
Austin Cozzolino, Public Relations, (816) 786-2154, austin.cozzolino@cerner.com