Cerner chairman and CEO Neal Patterson, 67, died July 9 due to unexpected complications that arose after a recurrence of cancer.
In January 2016, Patterson revealed he had been diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer. Still, last November he made a surprise appearance at the Cerner Health Conference, where he discussed his personal experience with the healthcare system.
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Patterson cofounded the Kansas City, Missouri-based company in 1979 with colleagues Paul Gorup and Cliff Illig.
Illig, who currently serves as vice chairman of the board, has been named chairman and interim CEO. In a statement, he commented on Patterson’s passing:
This is a profound loss. Neal and I have been partners and collaborators for nearly 40 years, and friends for longer than that. Neal loved waking up every morning at the intersection of healthcare and IT. His entrepreneurial passion for using IT as a lever to eliminate error, variance, delay, waste and friction changed our industry.
Patterson’s death is mourned not only by Cerner, but by the health IT community at large.
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Allscripts tweeted about it:
Saddened by the news of Cerner CEO Neal Patterson's passing. He was a giant in our shared mission to improve health care.
— Altera Digital Health (@AlteraHealth) July 9, 2017
And Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner commented on it:
My deepest condolences go out to Neal’s family, friends and colleagues. For nearly four decades, Neal’s vision and spirit helped transform the healthcare landscape in a way that will have a lasting impact for generations to come.
As Cerner’s board of directors has a succession plan in place, the company said its process of selecting a new CEO is nearing completion.
Photo: Cerner
