MaSSSoftech

University of Missouri Health Care is now negotiating with the Kansas City-based Cerner Corp., administrators have confirmed.

However, it does not appear an agreement with the company has been reached, according to a statement that Harold Williamson, vice chancellor for health sciences, and James Ross, CEO of MU Health, released to the Tribune late Friday.

MU Health information technology workers have been worried for months that their jobs could be outsourced to Cerner, considered one of the leading health information technology providers.

Several employees have said supervisors told them different Cerner-related stories, but mostly workers have been kept in the dark.

Williamson and Ross said employees would be notified “promptly” if a Cerner agreement is made.

“We have a talented information technology workforce at the health system with unique skills that are critical to the success of future initiatives we may undertake with Cerner,” they wrote. “The retention of our talented workforce is one of the principal points of our discussions, and we are committed to providing a favorable employment opportunity for each employee.”

MU Health IT workers saw Williamson’s and Ross’ statement Friday but weren’t reassured. Talk of favorable employment opportunities “pretty much confirms to us that we are gone,” one health system IT worker said, asking to remain unidentified.

Some staff members also were surprised that UM System President Gary Forsee’s name wasn’t mentioned in the statement. He is thought to have initiated the negotiations.

Forsee has several business and personal ties to the company. He previously served as CEO of Sprint, which works closely with Cerner. Forsee and Cerner CEO Neal Patterson serve together on at least two boards of trustees, and online records indicate Forsee’s son-in-law, Brandon Bell, works for Cerner.

The university has a longstanding relationship with Cerner. The company provides hardware products for the hospital and has an educational partnership with the MU School of Medicine.

Current discussions would “result in a significant investment in our health information technology and identify ways that we can collaborate on a range of new initiatives,” Williamson and Ross wrote. “If an agreement is reached, it will accelerate the integration of a comprehensive, cutting-edge electronic health record across our entire health system.”