Press Room: Press Releases

Project IMPACT Achieves Significant Milestone

(DES PLAINES, Ill., February 20, 2004) - The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) has sold its interest in Project IMPACT CCM, Inc., (PICCM) to Cerner Corporation (Cerner), in an effort to more closely integrate this popular intensive care outcomes and quality improvement database program into mainstream hospital systems.

"This transaction represents a significant milestone in the development and widespread implementation of Project IMPACT," said Tim Buchman, MD, SCCM President. "It is what we envisioned when we founded the program an ICU outcomes measurement system integrated seamlessly into the overall clinical information systems architecture."

The February 2004 Cerner acquisition represents a growth opportunity for both PICCM and SCCM. Cerner's investment will increase PICCM's value and ensure the continued growth of its client base. Revenue from the sale will also further continued growth of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Cerner is dedicated to operational continuity and improvement of PICCM's products. Cerner has committed to no significant price increases over the next four years and to making product enhancements consistent with PICCM's 2004 plan. Furthermore, PICCM clients will experience a seamless transition.

"As a national leader, Cerner has the technology and resources needed to integrate Project IMPACT with other hospital and ICU information systems, reducing both the data collection and hospital IT burdens," said Wayne S. Copes, chief operating officer of PICCM. "Cerner will provide a tremendous increase in resources available to PICCM to improve and market the technology. Consequently, Project IMPACT will become more widely adopted, thereby improving the quality of comparative reports and PI's value to clients." Copes noted that Cerner also has expertise in ICU severity scoring systems and will continue to make data available for research.

Several years ago, SCCM leadership and PICCM partner, Tri-Analytics, Inc., decided to spin off Project IMPACT as a for-profit corporation. "The goal was to make it easier to acquire investment for the development of critical care databases and to profile Project IMPACT as an acquisition target. We were confident it would attract a company committed to integrated clinical information solutions that wanted to provide additional client services," Dr. Buchman commented.

The SCCM Council and Executive Committee have carefully reviewed Cerner's capabilities and commitment to the PICCM users. Cerner has a history of leadership in clinical information systems and a commitment to progressive and effective use of information on behalf of patient care. This relationship heralds Cerner's commitment to critical care solutions and its vision to incorporate all critical care standards and evidence within a single quality improvement solution. There are many pluses in this acquisition for the future of PICCM, its products, clients and industry researchers.

"Project IMPACT has grown in service and sophistication to the point where it has become a national healthcare resource. As a result, PICCM should be managed by the recognized leader in clinical information systems. Cerner's acquisition of PICCM will not only further the development of high-quality database resources for existing Project IMPACT users, but will also promote critical care database use to a much wider audience," concluded Dr. Buchman.

For more information, contact Thomas Joseph, MPS, CAE at (847) 827-7282 or tjoseph@sccm.org.

The Society of Critical Care Medicine is the leading professional organization dedicated to ensuring excellence and consistency in the practice of critical care medicine. With over 11,000 members worldwide, the Society is the only professional organization devoted exclusively to the advancement of multidisciplinary, multiprofessional intensive care through excellence in patient care, professional education, public education, research and advocacy. Members of the Society include intensivists, critical care nurses, critical care pharmacists, clinical pharmacologists, respiratory care practitioners and other professionals with an interest in critical care, which may include physician assistants, social workers, dieticians, and members of the clergy.

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