Cerner Corporation announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire BeyondNow Technologies, a leader in the home care information technology market.
       This transaction establishes Cerner’s presence in the home care market—one that is expected to increase dramatically with the advancing age of the baby-boom generation.
       The largest subset of the baby boomers is currently between the ages of 55 and 59, and this group will grow by 41 percent by 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau. These baby boomers who consumed limited healthcare services for 20 years will be utilizing physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare providers with increased frequency—more than doubling their healthcare spending when reaching the age 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
       Cerner’s acquisition of BeyondNow Technologies comes at a key time for the home care segment. Information sharing and the use of technology directly impact the quality of care provided by home care agencies—quality now measured by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The two organizations recently launched the Home Health Quality Initiative, aimed at providing quality standards and measures to consumers researching home healthcare agencies.
       BeyondNow Technologies, a privately held company based in Overland Park, Kansas, has been a leader in the home care industry by developing technologies that reduce administrative paperwork, provide clinicians with remote access to charts, accelerate third-party reimbursement, and share information between the home care setting and hospitals.
       BeyondNow Technologies was recently ranked as the 23rd fastest-growing company in Kansas City by Ingram’s magazine. The majority of the company’s 62 employees are based in Overland Park, Kansas. Upon the close of the transaction, BeyondNow Technologies will be known as “BeyondNow Technologies, a Cerner Company.”
       For more information, visit http://www.cerner.com.