Neal Patterson, chairman, co-founder and CEO of Cerner, was diagnosed with cancer early in the year. Mr. Patterson announced the news in a note provided to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Jan. 25.
Mr. Patterson said he was diagnosed with a soft tissue cancer, one which is treatable and curable, and he will begin treatment immediately. He said his treatment will not severely affect Cerner's operations.
"I plan to stay involved in the business, but with less travel and fewer meetings," Mr. Patterson said. "In reality, it will not be a big change compared to how we run Cerner day to day already."
Mr. Patterson also indicated he is looking to the positive side of slowing things down a bit.
"It's not often I'm forced to slow down, but the silver lining will be having some extra 'think' time to reflect on all the extraordinary opportunities we have in health IT," he said. "After years of studying healthcare systems around the world, this unique opportunity already has my gears turning."
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