LAKE FOREST, Ill., and KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospira, Inc. (NYSE: HSP), the world's leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies, and Cerner (NASDAQ: CERN), a global leader in healthcare technology, today announced a commitment to advance the integration of I.V.-EMR technology. The expanded agreement strengthens both companies' ability to continue to bring innovative technologies to market, designed to enhance interoperability between Hospira's smart intravenous (I.V.) infusion devices and Cerner's CareAware(®) solutions to meet the evolving needs of healthcare organizations.

Cerner's CareAware technology is supplier-neutral and enables interoperability among medical devices, healthcare applications and electronic medical record (EMR) platforms. With Cerner's CareAware programming, Hospira will connect its infusion pumps to the EMR at the point of care and add functionality for devices connecting to CareAware.

"Hospira is proud to extend our relationship with Cerner to deliver the enhanced interoperability between smart I.V. pumps and EMRs that our customers seek," said Cynthia Ansari, vice president, U.S. Marketing and Software, Medical Devices, Hospira. "Together, we will innovate to enable our products to integrate in new and even more effective ways. This relationship builds on a longstanding foundation of collaboration between our companies with a shared goal of supporting healthcare organizations and caregivers in delivering the best possible care."

The new agreement focuses on broadening interoperability among Hospira's portfolio of smart infusion pumps with Hospira MedNet(TM) safety software and Cerner's Millennium(TM) healthcare information technology (IT) platform. Among other capabilities, I.V.-EMR interoperability enables electronic association of patient, device and medication. Cerner CareAware iBus(®) technology permits infusion pumps to be automatically programmed with pharmacy validated medication orders from the EMR, and infusion therapy data from the pump to be automatically documented in the EMR.

"Cerner's CareAware is a powerful tool for creating a connected healthcare experience, regardless of a provider's many technology partners," said Bryce Turnbull, vice president of Cerner DeviceWorks. "Through our work with Hospira, Cerner is helping provide caregivers the patient data they need to make more informed care decisions, which lead to better patient outcomes."

Hospira and Cerner first collaborated in 2003 to develop infusion pump and EMR integration technology, also known as I.V.-EMR interoperability. Hospira has since deployed I.V.-EMR interoperability at more hospitals than any other smart pump vendor.(1)

About Hospira

Hospira, Inc. is the world's leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies, and a global leader in biosimilars. Through its broad, integrated portfolio, Hospira is uniquely positioned to Advance Wellness(TM) by improving patient and caregiver safety while reducing healthcare costs. The company is headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill. Learn more at www.hospira.com.

About Cerner

Cerner's health information technologies connect people, information, and systems, at more than 18,000 facilities worldwide. Recognized for innovation, Cerner solutions assist clinicians in making care decisions and enable organizations to manage the health of populations. The company also offers an integrated clinical and financial system to help healthcare organizations manage revenue, as well as a wide range of services to support clients' clinical, financial and operational needs. Cerner's mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of healthcare delivery and the health of communities. For more information about Cerner, visit www.cerner.com, read our blog at www.cerner.com/blog, connect with us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cerner and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cerner.

-- Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 --
A Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or Hospira's future financial or operating performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "target," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern Hospira's expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. Forward-looking statements in this press release include Hospira's expectations regarding regulatory approvals, clinical trials and the actions of competitors. Hospira's expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, challenges inherent in creating and developing compounds and product candidates and economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory, legal, supply and other factors. Information on these and additional risks affecting Hospira's business and operating results are more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Hospira's most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequently filed quarterly report on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available as of the date hereof, and Hospira disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

1. Hess P. Smart Pump/EMR Integration - What Are My Best Options? May 2015 Performance Report. Available at www.klasresaerch.com

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SOURCE Hospira, Inc.