Cerner CEO Unveils Next-generation Cognitive Platform in Health Conference Keynote

“Health care will change more in the next five years than it has in the past 30,” Shafer told an audience of 5,000 clients, innovators and other health care industry professionals during the keynote address. “As we have for the past four decades, Cerner’s technology, and collaborative programs, along with the most respected providers, will lead a wave of disruptive innovation focused on making health care better.”

Aligning with the conference’s theme of Now / Next, Shafer shared enhancements to benefit Cerner clients today [NOW], then announced a NEXT-generation health platform. Code named “Project Apollo,” this initiative brings a more cognitive approach to practicing medicine. Leveraging the powerful combination of its health care technology and the AWS infrastructure, Cerner’s new cloud-based platform will accelerate the speed that innovations are integrated by removing manual steps for clients that slow the pace of adoption. Additionally, Cerner is creating an intelligence ecosystem to innovate next-generation user experiences and care delivery algorithms. This future innovation will support caregivers in giving their full focus to delivering high quality, patient-centric care, supported by the power of Cerner’s intelligent platform.

Another focus of Shafer’s keynote addressed the ongoing effort to eliminate deaths caused by opioid abuse. It’s estimated that two million Americans live with an opioid disorder. Each day, nearly 130 U.S. citizens die from an opioid overdose. Using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, Cerner is giving clients an enhanced toolkit that goes beyond prescribing history to identifying potential at-risk patients. As part of his remarks, Shafer issued a challenge to reduce the number of opioid-related deaths by 90%.

“Last year, deaths from opioid overdoses dropped by 5%,” said Shafer. “It was the first time since 1990 the number has declined. Even more progress needs to be made and I appeal to the health care industry to eradicate this epidemic.”

As Shafer addressed the international audience, he also introduced improvements ranging from better toolkits, dashboards and analytics to improved data interoperability. Stemming from Cerner’s collaborative work in the federal space, the company is soon to roll out “Cerner Seamless Interoperability.” Essentially, the enhancement takes data from connectivity to usability and the new Cerner Seamless Interoperability can help give invaluable time back to clinicians.

The company is also rolling out the Cerner Learning Framework—a web-based training platform—available to Cerner clients at no cost. 

“We started by asking our clients, ‘what’s in the way of giving your patients the best quality of care,’” said Shafer. “As we constructed our commitments and guiding principles, a relentless focus on our clients’ success became the overriding focus of everything we do at Cerner.”