Case Study: Truman Medical Centers achieves 98% faster referral assignment and quicker patient scheduling with Cerner Direct Referrals (Cerner)

Truman Medical Centers improves patient referral process

Truman Medical Centers, a 600‑bed academic medical center in Kansas City, faced long delays and inconsistent handling of outside referrals that arrived by fax, phone, email and paper, preventing timely scheduling of ancillary and outpatient services. With no centralized process, staff couldn’t efficiently track or manage referrals across the organization.

By routing all external referrals through Cerner Direct Referrals and combining a policy change with staff retraining, TMC centralized intake, securely exchanged clinical information with 35 regional institutions, and gained tracking and reporting capabilities. Over the year after implementation, referral‑assignment time improved 98.4%, time “on hold” fell 87.6%, scheduling‑to‑visit time improved 78%, and the full referral cycle improved 68.5%, strengthening community partnerships and operational visibility.

Truman Medical Centers

Seth Katz

Assistant Administrator of Information Management and Program Execution