Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Cerner Corp. have announced the implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR) system at the medical center.

"Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Cerner are both dedicated to elevating the quality of healthcare," said David S. Hefner, executive director and chief operating officer of Penn State Hershey Medical Center, in a release. "Cerner's technology connects our clinicians with the latest patient care data at the point of care, giving them a valuable tool to assist in making informed, evidence-based practice decisions. The result is even safer, higher-quality care. Less than 10 percent of hospitals in the nation have integrated their caregivers with this kind of information technology, and we are extremely proud to be among this elite group."

Using Cerner Millennium system, more than 12,000 orders are being placed each day at the Medical Center. Almost 1,000 faculty, residents and staff at the Medical Center are placing nearly 100 percent of their orders online with enhanced medication checks in place. Cerner's computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system allows the Medical Center to unify its medication management process, bringing the physician, pharmacist and nurse together from order through administration.

Penn State Hershey Medical Center has 479 licensed beds and more than 25,000 admissions and more than 785,000 patient encounters each year.