In the note announcing his diagnosis, Mr. Patterson said he intended to stay involved in Cerner, just traveling less and taking fewer meetings. “In reality, it will not be a big change compared to how we run Cerner day to day already,” he wrote.
This is largely how the past six months have played out, according to Mr. Burke.
“He’s fully engaged,” Mr. Burke said in the interview. “We run a global company, and I’m used to traveling overseas and doing all sorts of things. He and I worked by text and phone previously; we work by text and phone today. It’s really no different in terms of how it’s been operating from a work perspective.”
What’s more, Mr. Burke said Mr. Patterson’s experience as a consumer of healthcare may now produce some new insight and ideas for Cerner moving forward.
“I’m sure he’ll have some heightened focus around the consumer side…and what we can do to better facilitate the experience for the consumer,” Mr. Burke said. “I think the consumer is going to have a much stronger voice as we move forward.”
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