Cerner conference will focus on healthcare information technology

Cerner Corp. president Zane Burke knows that topics such as "leveraging advanced analytics" and "optimizing medication management" don't resonate with the population at large. But as 14,000 people begin congregating in downtown Kansas City on Sunday at the annual Cerner Healthcare Conference, many of them are deeply entrenched in issues like that. And in Burke's view, they matter to people who have no idea what those words mean. "The consumer is going to become much more powerful in health care because they're paying for the bill," Burke said Friday. "Three years ago, consumers paid 15 percent of health care costs. Today, they're paying 25 percent. Three years from now, 38 percent will come out of the consumer's pocket."