Missouri university health system outsourcing IT jobs

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- About 100 computer employees for the University of Missouri Health System are to be outsourced to a North Kansas City-based technology company under a deal announced Monday.

The university and Cerner Corp. said during a news conference in Columbia that they are creating the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation to work on health care technology issues. Under the 10-year deal, about 100 technology workers for the health system will become Cerner employees. Another 20 to 30 current university technology employees will stay with the school but will work for the newly created institute.

The university and Cerner would split profits from any new developments based on the amount of money each invests in the institute. A portion of the proceeds would be used to continue funding the institute.

Cerner makes and sells medical records computer software to hospitals and health care providers.

Cerner and the school have worked together for the last 13 years on several projects, including on an electronic medical record system.

Initially, the institute is to work on securing federal stimulus money to improve hospital electronic records. Hospitals in the university health care system would use the stimulus payments to reimburse the institute for the cost of helping them qualify for the federal money.