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Cerner

cern · NASDAQ Healthcare
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Industry Medical - Healthcare Information Services
Employees 10,000+
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FY2010 Annual Report · Cerner
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ANNUAL REPORT 2010

1

 
 
 Table of Contents: Annual Report 2010 

Board of Directors 
Leadership 
Letter to Our Shareholders 
	 Appendix: Cerner’s Business Model and Financial Assessment 
Form 10-K 
  Business and Industry Overview 

  Risk Factors 

  Properties 

  Selected Financial Data 

  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accountant 

Consolidated Balance Sheets 

Consolidated Statements of Operations 

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity 

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

  Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 

  Business Acquisitions 

  Cash and Investments 

  Fair Value Measurements 

  Receivables 

  Property and Equipment 

  Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 

  Software Development Costs 

Indebtedness 

  Hedging Activities 

Interest Income 

Income Taxes 

  Earnings Per Share 

  Share Based Compensation and Equity 

  Foundations Retirement Plan 

  Related Party Transactions 

  Commitments 

  Segment Reporting 

  Quarterly Results 

Stock Price Performance Graph 
Corporate Information 

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4

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24

26

34

42

45

46 

68 

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71 

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98

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Board of Directors
Neal L. Patterson  
  ■ Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and President, Cerner Corporation

Clifford W. Illig
  ■ Vice Chairman, Cerner Corporation

Gerald E. Bisbee Jr., Ph.D.
  ■ Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, ReGen Biologics, Inc., Franklin Lakes, NJ

The Honorable John C. Danforth
  ■ Ambassador to the United Nations, July 2004–January 2005 
  ■ U.S. Senator - Missouri, 1976-1995
  ■ Partner, Bryan Cave LLP, St. Louis, MO

Linda M. Dillman
  ■ Senior Vice President of Enterprise Services/Global Functions IT, Hewlett-Packard Company, Palo Alto, CA 
  ■ Executive Vice President of Benefits and Risk Management, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2006-2009 
  ■ Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 2002-2006

William B. Neaves, Ph.D.
  ■ President Emeritus and Director, The Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO

William D. Zollars
  ■ Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, YRC Worldwide, Overland Park, KS

4

 Leadership

Cerner Executive Cabinet

Neal L. Patterson ▪ Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer 

and President

Clifford W. Illig ▪ Vice Chairman
Marc G. Naughton ▪ Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Michael R. Nill ▪  Executive Vice President and Chief Engineering Officer
Jeffrey A. Townsend ▪ Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff

Michael G. Valentine ▪  Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Paul N. Gorup ▪ Senior Vice President and Chief of Innovation
Thomas P. Herzog ▪ Senior Vice President, IT and Medical Device Technologies
Julia M. Wilson ▪ Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer
Bill D. Wing ▪ Senior Vice President, RevWorks

Cerner Executive Management

Ed L. Enyeart ▪ Senior Vice President, Finance
Richard J. Flanigan ▪ Senior Vice President, Employer Services and Research
William E. Graff ▪ Senior Vice President, CernerWorks Infrastructure
John B. Landis ▪ Senior Vice President, Client Operations
Farrell L. Sanders ▪ Senior Vice President, Cerner ITWorks
Kent C. Scheuler  ▪ Senior Vice President, Managed Services
David W. Sides ▪ Senior Vice President, Worldwide Consulting
Randy D. Sims ▪ Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Shellee K. Spring ▪ Senior Vice President, PowerWorks

Joanne M. Burns ▪ Vice President, Cerner Corporation and CIO, Tiger Institute
Robert J. Campbell ▪ Vice President and Chief Learning Officer
Kimberly K. Hlobik ▪ Vice President, Lighthouse
Gay M. Johannes ▪ Vice President and Chief Quality Officer 
Eva L. Karp ▪ Vice President and General Manager, EMR Business Unit
Allan O. Kells ▪ Vice President, Investor Relations
Catherine E. Mueller ▪ Vice President, Client Experience
J. Randall Nelson ▪ Vice President, Life Sciences
Matthew J. Swindells ▪ Managing Director and Vice President, 
        Global Consulting

Client Organization

Zane M. Burke ▪ Senior Vice President, Client Development
Michael C. Neal ▪ Senior Vice President, Cerner Corporation 

                 and President, Pacific

John T. Peterzalek ▪ Senior Vice President, Cerner Corporation 

 and President, Atlantic
Alan C. Fowles ▪ Vice President and General Manager, UK and Ireland
Marcos Garcia ▪ Vice President and General Manager, Spain
Scott A. Schmidt ▪ Vice President and General Manager, Australia 

                  and Asia Pacific

Robert J. Shave ▪ Vice President, Cerner Corporation and President,

                Cerner Canada

Bruno N. Slosse ▪ Vice President and General Manager, EMEA
Greg G. White ▪ Vice President and General Manager, Middle East
Talbott G. Young ▪ Vice President and General Manager, Latin America 
Holger Cordes ▪ General Manager, Germany
Amanda J. Green ▪ Managing Director, Ireland

Intellectual Property Organization

Douglas S. McNair, M.D. & Ph.D. ▪ Senior Vice President,

         Knowledge and Discovery

Ryan R. Hamilton ▪ Vice President, Intellectual Property Development
J. Bryan Ince ▪ Vice President, Australia IP Strategy 

David P. McCallie, Jr., M.D. ▪ Vice President, Medical Informatics
Rama Nadimpalli ▪ Vice President and General Manager, Cerner India
Owen L. Straub ▪ Vice President,  Millennium Development 

5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cerner’s Long-Term Performance

2010 represents the start of Cerner’s fourth decade. The table below offers a view of our growth over the past 10 years 
and since our initial public offering in 1986. While every quarter and year is important—and we are the first to scrutinize 
their passing—there are a number of insights that come only from reviewing longer intervals. Before we review 2010, we 
invite you to study Cerner’s long-term performance.

e
n
i
L
p
o
T

Bookings Revenue

Revenue

Domestic Revenue 

Global Revenue 

Revenue Backlog

e Operating Earnings1

n
i
L
m
o
t
t
o
B

Operating Margin1

Net Earnings1

Earnings Per Share1

t Total Assets

e
e
h
S
e
c
n
a
a
B

l

Cash and Investments

Days Sales Outstanding

Total Debt

Equity

h
s
a
C

t
n
e
m
t
s
e
v
n
I

t
e
k
r
a
M

w Operating Cash Flow
o
F

Free Cash Flow (FCF)1

l

t

h Capital Expenditures
w
o
r
G
n

R&D Spending

Associate Headcount

i

Market Capitalization

e Cerner Stock Price
c
n
a
m
r
o
f
r
e
P

Nasdaq Composite Index

S&P 500 Index

1986

$18

$17

$17

$0.2

$11

$3

14.8%

$2

$0.05

$26

$8

161

$1

$16

$1

-$1

$1

$2

2000

$399

$415

$389

$26

2010

$1,995

$1,850

$1,562

$288

$624

$4,940

$34

8.1%

$20

$0.29

$384

20.8%

$253

$2.96

$616

$2,423

$91

142

$102

$344

$53

$6

$16

$91

$836

87

$93

$1,905

$456

$273

$102

$285

 149 

 3,042 

 8,242 

$0.97

$23.13

$94.74

$45

349

242

$1,647

$8,133

2,471

1,320

2,653

1,258

Compound Annual Growth Rates

Previous Decade
2000-2010

Since Going Public
1986-2010

17%

16%

15%

27%

23%

28%

29%

26%

15%

25%

-5%

-1%

19%

24%

46%

20%

12%

10%

15%

17%

1%

0%

22%

21%

21%

35%

29%

23%

22%

19%

21%

22%

-3%

20%

22%

31%

NM

20%

24%

18%

21%

24%

9%

7%

Notes
Dollars are in millions except Earnings Per Share and stock prices.

Free Cash Flow represents Operating Cash Flow less Capital Expenditures and Capitalized Software.

NM=Not Meaningful, because free cash flow was negative in 1986.

As I did last year, I will offer some observations from our numerical history: First, if you grow a company consistently over 
a long period of time, people eventually start viewing it as big. (Cerner was added to the S&P 500 index in April 2010.) 
Second, if you use vision to guide the company’s development, you have a better chance of growing over a long period of 
time. Third, it never hurts to be in the right place at the right time, which increases your odds for success and raises your 
IQ in the minds of others.

1   Operating margin, net earnings, earnings per share, and free cash flow reflect adjustments compared to results reported on a Generally Accepted Accounting Principles 
(GAAP) basis in our 2010 Form 10-K. Non-GAAP results should not be substituted as a measure of our performance but instead should be used along with GAAP results 
as a supplemental measure of financial performance. Non-GAAP results are used by management along with GAAP results to analyze our business, make strategic 
decisions, assess long-term trends on a comparable basis, and for management compensation purposes. Please see the appendix to this letter for a reconciliation of 
these items to GAAP results.

6

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A Letter to our Shareholders, Clients and Associates: 

2010 was a very solid year for Cerner and an auspicious start to a new decade. In this letter, I aim to show you the ways 
your company is competing in the present while also getting ready for the future. I will share highlights from our year and 
observations about the complex state of the broader healthcare environment. I will talk about our current markets and 
the ones we see coming. By the end of the letter, I hope you will be well equipped to understand how present initiatives 
and investments fit our long-term strategic vision. And before I close, I want to share some very personal goals that I have 
for Cerner. 

2010 Highlights

Economic experts say the recession ended in 2009, and yet almost every government in the world, be it state or federal, 
is left with the daunting imperative of balancing its budget, the largest portion of which is typically healthcare of some 
sort. Despite a cautious and slow recovery, the specific intersection of healthcare and information technology benefitted 
from a climate of increasing confidence in the economic and societal value of electronic medical records (EMRs). In an 
overall improved economic environment, we delivered strong financial results, with good revenue growth, strong margin 
expansion and earnings growth, and very strong cash flow. Below are highlights from 2010. 

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

	New business bookings increased 9% to $2.0 billion.
	Revenue backlog increased 17% to $4.9 billion.
	Revenue grew 11% to $1.9B, with domestic revenue increasing 12% and non-U.S. revenue increasing 5%.
	Operating  margin1  increased  230  basis  points  to  20.8%,  exceeding  our  long-term  goal  of  20%,  which  was 
established in 2003 when our operating margin was 9%.
	Net earnings1 increased 24% to $253 million.
	Cash flow from operations grew 31% to $456 million. Free cash flow1, defined as operating cash flow less capital 
expenditures and capitalized software, increased 97% to $273 million.
	Cerner’s stock price increased 15% in 2010, from $82.44 to $94.74. The NASDAQ Composite Index increased 
17% and S&P 500 increased 13%. As reflected in the table on the prior page, the 15% compound annual growth 
rate of Cerner’s stock price over the past decade is very strong compared to the NASDAQ and S&P 500, which 
grew at 1% and 0% compound annual growth rates during the same period.

For many years, we have shared an up-to-date analysis of our overall business model in this letter, documenting various 
performance measurements at a much more detailed and meaningful level. We have been told this is an uncommon 
display of transparency for a public company. From our point of view, we have always felt like we build a better relationship 
with investors who understand our business model. For that analysis, refer to the appendix immediately following this 
letter.

When a Plan Comes Together

As highlighted above, 2010 was a good year, bettering Cerner’s position for the future. As you might expect, there is a 
narrative behind the numbers.

Each year in this letter, I tell the Cerner story, or at least part of it. If you have been reading these letters for a long time, 
you should notice some consistency among key elements of our story. The long-term trend driving Cerner’s business is 
a steady progress in automating complex healthcare delivery processes. For multiple decades, we have been digitizing 
the content of one of the largest sectors of our economy2 and the institutions that deliver our healthcare. It is a very 
large, complex undertaking. Thirty-one years ago, had we known exactly how hard, how long and how costly it would be, 
we might have chosen a different industry. I am thankful today for how youth and ignorance can sometimes prevail over 
conventional wisdom. 

2   The latest figures show that healthcare was 17.6% of the United States GDP in 2009.

7

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
 Cerner’s core clients during this time have been organizations that provide some aspect of clinical medicine. Long ago, 
when most information systems were financial and administrative in nature, we embraced clinical systems. Our entry 
path was in the departments of the care processes—laboratory, radiology and pharmacy—and working to make these 
departments higher quality and more efficient. But it became clear that the value of clinical data from any one of these 
single-encounter organizational silos would be magnified considerably if it could be put in relationship with data from the 
others. We soon developed a person-centric data model, paving the way for a lifetime medical record.

Throughout  the  1980s,  1990s  and  2000s,  our  clients  embraced  the  new  flow  of  information.  Some  went  paperless, 
eliminating  a  major  source  of  medical  errors.  Some  used  our  Discern®  decision  support  technology  to  develop 
sophisticated electronic alerts capable of catching mistakes before they could be made. We have never stopped learning 
from our clients, the largest of whom are vast health systems that provide many facets of care, from primary care to the 
most advanced multiple organ transplants. For the better part of three decades, Cerner and our clients have been at the 
forefront of making healthcare smarter, safer, more efficient and more reliable. But at the macro level, we saw a so-called 
healthcare system that did not operate as a system, and we spoke out about the systemic issues that give rise to error, 
variance, waste, delay and friction. With a bias for action, we have consistently worked to develop solutions that improve 
how healthcare works.

About 10 years ago, we began to see federal governments worldwide taking an interest in stimulating the adoption of 
information technology in care delivery. In the United States, lawmakers in both political parties began to agree about 
the importance of digitizing health information. Recently, the U.S. government took significant legislative steps to incent 
widespread adoption of electronic health records. This came in the form of the HITECH3 funding provision of the American 
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). 

While many of Cerner’s clients were already highly advanced in their use of technology, the legislation provides incentives 
and penalties that are expected to quickly move almost every hospital and doctor’s office down the same path as those 
who have embraced technology all along. 

Thus, in 2010, Cerner benefited from increased purchasing in the U.S. related to the legislation, which requires healthcare 
providers to demonstrate “meaningful use” of a certified electronic health record. The detailed definition of meaningful 
use is being rolled out in three stages over a period of time until 2015, laying out progressively rigorous adoption and 
utilization targets. We anticipate that, by the latter half of this decade, nearly all healthcare providers in the U.S. will have 
adopted a fairly sophisticated electronic health record.

There Are Always Bends and Bumps in the Road

The market reality described in the previous section is certainly good for the healthcare information technology (HCIT)
industry, at least in the short term. But it is also a complex reality. We believe that, in fewer than five years, the era of 
buying first-generation EMRs will be over, or nearly so. In our industry, there are several reasons why some EMR buying 
can and will continue for decades, but it is always a mistake to forecast with a ruler. Throughout our history, there have 

3   HITECH is an acronym for Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health.

1979

1982

1984

1986

Neal Patterson, Paul Gorup, and Cliff Illig 
leave Arthur Andersen & Co. to form their 
own company

PathNet® is installed in the lab at 
St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Cerner secures $1.5 million venture 
capital funding from First Chicago 
Capital Corporation

Cerner goes public on NASDAQ (CERN)

$17 million of revenue

149 associates

8

 been a number of bends in the road. Navigating those bends requires vision. Our internal definition of vision is the ability 
to look ahead and describe a compelling future state. In my professional experience, vision is the thing you as a leader 
use to give your organization the courage and motivation to invest in new ideas years before they produce economic 
returns. Because of vision, our company has a culture of routinely making long-term investments that many others fail to 
make. With vision, you help define what lies beyond the next bend.

All throughout the journey, your competition is always trying to bump you off the road you are on. At every stage in Cerner’s 
31-year history, the view from the competitive field has appeared to be roughly the same. There has always been one 
strong  competitor  showing  up  consistently  in  the  face-off  situations,  and  our  current  state  is  no  exception.  When  we 
back away and look at the same race over three decades, however, the view looks very different. A new truth emerges. It 
hasn’t been the same competitor. In each era, it has been a different company. Not only have most of our one-time rivals 
fallen behind, many don’t even exist as companies today. The outcome is never certain, but we believe the road ahead, 
ultimately, has some sharp bends; if you miss just one, you are history.

The key to staying in the race is having a vision for the future … even while you’re competing in the present. In the rest of 
this letter, we aim to highlight some ways Cerner has been doing both. 

When Things Become Digital, Things Change

One need look no further than what has happened to communications, music, books or photography in the past 10 to 
15 years to understand that when the content of an industry goes digital, things change. Since 2005, we have publicly 
shared our belief that the EMR is only the beginning, a digital infrastructure that will enable a number of second-order 
effects. For years we have done the hard work of creating, improving and hardening that infrastructure. Inside Cerner, 
we are actually excited to see the era beyond the core EMR. We view our work over the past 30 years as analogous to 
building the foundations and laying the electrical grid for a great city that hasn’t been built. Reaching the place where we 
can actually start to build on top of that foundation is inspiring for us and our clients. Things are starting to get fun. I want 
to share some ways Cerner has seized opportunities to create those effects.

CareAware: A New Era of Device and Workflow Awareness

Back in 2005, I said that one of the second-order effects of a digitized health system is that every thing would need to be 
redesigned; a new generation of aware medical devices would need to be built, capable of tapping directly into the EMR 
as the source of truth. By 2006, we had introduced a new global device architecture to focus on creating safer healthcare 
environments by connecting all things digital in the clients’ workplace—devices, room lighting, entertainment systems 
and all EMRs—not just Cerner’s but our competitors’ as well. And in some instances, this would mean replacing medical 
devices and workflows. We called this new architecture CareAware®. Our goal was to use our detailed knowledge of the 
information available in the EMR to create the best possible contextual awareness for doctors, nurses and pharmacists as 
they make decisions. We worked collaboratively with many of the manufacturers of medical devices and other information 
systems to create a standards-based CareAware iBus™, a deceptively simple-looking piece of equipment that acts much 
like a USB port for healthcare, enabling plug-and-play connectivity between devices and the EMR. We also developed the 
CareAware iAware™ dashboard to provide rapid situational awareness of the patient’s condition using information from 
the EMR. 

1987

1990

1992

1993

Cerner listed as one of Inc. magazine’s 
100 fastest-growing companies

Revenues surpass $50 million

2 for 1 stock split (May 12)

2 for 1 stock split (March 1)

Cerner Vision Center opens

Revenues surpass $100 million

9

 To illustrate the depth of functionality we have attained in just a few short years, consider our award-winning CareAware 
Infusion Management™ technology, which gathers data from multiple devices and the EMR into a single location. This 
technology makes it possible for the first time in healthcare to automate one of the most clinically arduous and error-
prone processes in the nursing workflow—infusion documentation and pump management. The CIO of WellSpan Health in 
Gettysburg and York, Pennsylvania, our alpha development partner for this solution, actually left a voicemail for me one 
July day shortly after go-live to report the word-for-word feedback of elated WellSpan nurses: 

“I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!”

“We have been waiting for something like this.”

“This is a little piece of heaven!”

“It does everything but start the IV.”

“Now all I have to do is take care of my patient.”

Nurses using the solution have consistently reported that their patients are safer, and the nurses have more time to focus 
on their care. 

Today we are taking the need for situational and contextual awareness to a new level by creating entire work environments 
for  healthcare  called  Smart  Rooms.  In  2007,  a  dedicated  group  of  Cerner  associates  began  to  rethink  the  patient 
and  caregiver  experience,  envisioning  how  device  connectivity,  innovative  technologies  and  workflow  solutions  might 
dramatically change the experience. Smart Rooms are the result of that direction. A Smart Room is a care space optimized 
for the patient and caregiver experience through connected technologies that utilize real-time health data and event logic. 
In April 2010, Fisher-Titus Medical Center and Magruder Hospital went live with the first all-digital hospital Smart Room 
installations. Outside a Smart Room, you might find a RoomLink message board that senses the identity of the caregiver 
entering the room, while inside an interactive display introduces the new caregiver to the patient. Nearby, a flat-panel 
CareAware iAware monitor also senses the caregiver’s identity and pulls up a concise view of the most relevant data from 
the patient’s EMR. 

Cerner Smart Room technology is used in more than 500 facilities —enabling real-time clinical data from devices, such as 
telemetry and vital sign monitors, IV smart pumps and hospital beds, to flow directly into a patient’s EMR without delay or 
error. Smart Rooms create such a streamlined experience for caregiver and patients that the technology disappears into 
the surroundings and what remains is world-class care. 

The Works: A New Era of Services

Another second-order effect of the digitized health system is that our traditional clients now see information technology 
(IT) as a core business strategy. They get that IT is an ongoing, significant, value-returning fixture of the 21st century health 
system. Having more trust and acceptance of IT, and looking to Cerner as a strategic partner, they are more willing to 
invest in services that extend the value of their infrastructure investment. 

Over the past couple of years, we have invested in defining additional services that leverage the value of our clinical 
systems architecture. Increasingly, we are providing more embedded services to our clients, improving functions they 

1994

1995

1999

2000

1,000 associates

2 for 1 stock split (August 7)

HNA Millennium® Phase 1 is completed

3,000 associates

Cerner makes Fortune list of “Best 100 
Companies to Work For”

10

 already need for their daily operations. We call this family of services “Works”. We started in the first part of last decade 
with our CernerWorks™ services, hosting the client’s systems in our datacenters. In the last two years, we have moved 
into providing embedded services with our Cerner ITWorks™ services, where we assume responsibility for the client’s 
internal IT functions, leveraging our own IT skills and scale; we have also started Cerner RevWorks™, where we assume 
responsibility  for  the  client’s  internal  revenue  processes,  leveraging  our  scale  and  technologies;  and  QualityWorks, 
where we assume responsibility for quality reporting and monitoring while also helping improve their clinical processes 
through our Millennium Lighthouse® solutions and services. We believe these new services give us significant growth 
opportunities through this decade in our existing client base and in new footprints. 

In Sickness and in Health

When the core is digitized, a new level of consumer health awareness is possible. We believe that, as much as people 
appreciate having a system they can rely on when they’re sick, they would much rather be healthy. Cerner wants to be at 
the center of the healthy revolution. 

Virtually every clinician knows and believes the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” And yet, 
to students of the healthcare system, it seems as though very few actors in the system have been able to step off the 
conveyor belt that financially rewards providers for treating sick people rather than focusing on keeping the same people 
well. At Cerner, we have watched the whole situation play out over multiple decades, and we believe there is a more 
complete  thought  in  focusing  on  both  health  and  care.  In  doing  so  over  time,  the  business  of  health  may  eventually 
become a bigger business than the business of care. Certainly the lines will blur a great deal.

We said it in last year’s letter: Cerner aims to be a significant health company. 

Cerner started the last decade trying to crack the code on making good health pay. To do this, we had to identify the 
constituents in society who really pay for sickness. Clearly, one major group was us and other self-insured companies 
just like us. We all own much of the financial risk, and we foot much of the healthcare bill for our associates and their 
families. Historically, there was very little we and other companies were doing to manage this risk. We were our own 
perfect laboratory, the alpha client, and so the work began. In the past several years, we have made changes to our health 
plan, fired our third party administrator (we prefer to think of it as eliminating our first insurance company), launched an 
on-site new age clinic and pharmacy, incorporated biometric measurements for our population, realigned the economic 
incentives for associates in our health plan price tags and rolled out a data-based wellness management program that 
provides personalized health profiles for our associates. We have also revamped our on-campus cafeterias to include 
healthier  meals  and  encouraged  fresh  thinking  about  work  environments,  incorporating  options  such  as  standing 
workstations. In March 2011, we were pleased when the Kansas City Business Journal awarded Cerner first place among 
companies with 3,500 employees or more in its recognition of “Kansas City’s Healthiest Employers.”

This past fall, members of Cerner’s Executive Cabinet engaged our fellow associates in a competition around weight loss, 
offering a deluxe vacation to the winning team and their family members. The competition isn’t over yet, but this March 
16 associate tweet pretty much sums up the results we have seen:

Holy moly...KC @cerner associates have lost 7 tons (~2.5%) of weight since October

We now give a great deal of thought to the health of our associates and how to engage everyone in healthy lifestyles.

2001

2002

2003

2004

Revenues surpass $500 million

4,000 associates

Cerner and Atos Origin awarded U.K. 
National Health Services Choose  
and Book contract

Cerner celebrates 25th anniversary

Cerner ranks third among software 
companies in The Wall Street Journal’s 
Top 50 Returns over a five-year period

5,000 associates

11

 Our health-focused initiatives serve at least four important purposes: They’re good for our associates; they save us money; 
they supply us with knowledge about a promising new market for us, Employer Services; and they give us insights we can 
parlay into solutions for our traditional clients, who under health reform legislation in the U.S. may soon receive increased 
Medicare and Medicaid payments for healthier outcomes by way of the Accountable Care Organization payment model. 

The Cerner of today is known for care; we expect the Cerner of five or 10 years from now will be recognized for health as much 
as care. As I mentioned, we can see a plausible scenario where health actually becomes the bigger portion of our growth.

We are also pursuing an additional strategy, one of innovating a New Middle™ in healthcare. We discuss this strategy 
more in the next section of this letter. It is difficult to say how much more opportunity this could create, but if successful, 
it could be orders of magnitude greater. We believe a New Middle would also magnify the value of our core business, 
creating a much larger Cerner in coming decades. 

I have a bit of uneasiness about suggesting such positive views of Cerner. No one knows the future. There will certainly 
be challenges in the years and decades ahead. But I do believe these are all very possible results, and describing them 
fits my definition of the CEO’s job.

Looking Toward the Cloud

One of the biggest buzzwords in business today is the “cloud.” The cloud is a metaphor for the Internet, a convenient 
abstraction of the complexity of the world’s largest network. Of all the second-order effects made possible by the all-digital 
health  system,  none  has  more  potential  power  than  a  worldwide  network  of  digital  health  data.  Advances  in  Internet 
computing have made it possible to create a new-breed scalable and reliable architecture layer above any one single 
enterprise—in the cloud.

Each of our clients is an enterprise. Cerner’s story in our first three decades is one of improvement within the enterprise. 
Some of these enterprises are very large—think large multi-hospital health systems with affiliated physician groups—and 
yet they are closed off from other enterprises. Improvement within the enterprise is extremely important and worthwhile. 
It has, for three decades, driven everything inside Cerner while improving care for a large number of people. However, 
there are some significant issues in healthcare that can only be addressed above the enterprise. 

Even  the  largest  health  system  will  not  have  the  scale  and  scope  to  provide  any  one  population  all  of  its  healthcare 
needs. Just pay attention the next time you encounter a health enterprise. Chances are, the first thing you will be handed 
is a clipboard. Do you really think your caregivers would hand you that clipboard if they already had access to all of your 
medical information inside their own enterprise? 

Instead,  they  have  to  assume  that  sometime  in  the  past  six  months,  you  have  visited  a  physician  down  the  street,  a 
drugstore nearby or a laboratory across the way, none of which are part of their enterprise. They have to assume that 

2005

2006

2007

Revenues surpass $1 billion

2 for 1 stock split (Jan. 10)

Revenues surpass $1.5 billion

Cerner signs contract with Fujitsu for southern 
region of NHS Connecting for Health program 
in England

Nearly 7,000 associates

Introduced CareAware® device architecture and 
line of devices

Cerner signs contract with BT for London region of  
NHS program

Shipped first production units of RxStation® medication 
dispensing devices; 25 clients purchase CareAware iBus™ 
device connectivity

Delivered new Cerner ProVision® PACS Workstation

First Cerner Millennium® site in France

Opened new Data Center at World Headquarters

Delivered Cerner Millennium 2007 software release, 
containing more new features than any prior release 
and setting a new quality standard

Opened Cerner Healthe Clinic at World Headquarters

Signed first clients in Spain and Egypt; opened office in  
Dublin, Ireland

Acquired Etreby Computer Company (retail pharmacy 
solutions)

12

 you may have moved once, twice or more in your lifetime, that you visited a different doctor for a year when your spouse 
changed health insurance, and that, on your last ski trip, you were seen at an out-of-town emergency room. Moreover, 
they  have  to  believe  that  your  parents’  health  conditions,  treated  decades  ago  at  another  enterprise,  might  also  be 
relevant to what is happening to you today. In short, they have to quickly place your specific complaint today within a 
broader context of your past and present health, the health of your parents and siblings, and in some cases, health issues 
within your community. 

Almost every time you visit a healthcare enterprise, you will get the attention of a small team of very talented, highly 
trained  and  hardworking  doctors,  nurses  and  staff,  who  will  use  their  training  and  experience  for  your  benefit.  Their 
challenge is to quickly put content into context. This is a prerequisite before they start making decisions about your health. 
It goes far beyond situational awareness required in the ICU. Many times, thankfully, the memory-based inventory works, 
whether it is within the warm confines of a physician office or the hectic environment of an emergency department. But 
what about the times when it doesn’t? Sadly, the lack of a reliable source of knowledge above the enterprise level is a 
major cause of unnecessary error, variance, waste, delay and friction in healthcare … and suffering.  

There are errors we as a society know how to count, for example, the ones listed in the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 
landmark report, To Err is Human. There are also errors we haven’t yet learned to count because our society accepts 
information failure as inevitable. The personal story I’m about to tell involves mostly the latter kind. 

In the case of my sister-in-law, Linda, a 52-year-old first grade teacher in rural America, the current system didn’t work. 
One Friday afternoon, she presented to her rural doctor with flu-like symptoms. By Sunday night, she was dead of septic 
shock, an infection that enters the bloodstream and attacks your vital organs. In sepsis, your body gives off clear signals 
of the disease, but once it starts, there are just six golden hours to treat it before organ failure begins. As Linda moved 
from primary care on to the critical access rural hospital  to the big-city  emergency department and finally to the ICU, 
pieces of information were produced by the care team that could have saved her life. But Linda’s treatment between 
Friday and Sunday night was full of imperfect handoffs between different enterprises, and the information that could have 
saved Linda’s life never came together. 

Unfortunately,  Linda’s  story  is  hardly  uncommon,  and  hardly  limited  to  sepsis.  Information  failure  can  occur  over  the 
course of six hours, as it did with Linda, or it can occur just as easily over the course of six years. Connecting and making 
sense of all of our lifetime health and medical information regardless of enterprise, and making it actionable, has become 
one of Cerner’s biggest long-term ambitions. It is the key function of the initiative we call the New Middle for healthcare. 

In October of last year, I made our clients an offer. We committed that, as soon as possible, we would activate for each 
client our cloud-based platform and make both it and its first “agent,” the St. John Sepsis Rescue agent, available at no 
subscription cost. In addition, Cerner would begin indexing their EMRs in the cloud (a private, secure version), and we 
would give them the ability to conduct a Chart Search of their own EMR, again at no cost. 

2008

2009

2010

Free Cash Flow surpasses $100 million

Cerner Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Smart Semi, a mobile hospital room of 
the future, introduced and made 93 stops, 
hosting nearly 9,000 client attendees

American Recovery & Reinvestment Act becomes 
law and includes $35 billion in incentives for the 
adoption of healthcare IT

Signed first agreement for the  
Smart Room

Expanded footprint in Middle East with 
signing of Ministry of Health in  
United Arab Emirates

Signed first hosted client in France

Signed first client in Latin America

First two Cerner ITWorksSM contracts signed

University of Missouri and Cerner create Tiger 
Institute for Health Innovation

Announced acquisition of IMC Health Care

Cerner clients connect with HHS and CDC to fight 
spread of influenza

Announced new mission statement, “To contribute to the systemic 
improvement of healthcare delivery and the health of communities”

Introduced Healthe Intent™ cloud-based platform

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act becomes law in an effort  
to reform how healthcare is delivered in the U.S.

Announced agreement with CareFusion to better integrate medical devices 
and electronic health records

Fisher-Titus Medical Center and Magruder Hospital partner with Cerner  
to become first all-digital, smart hospitals in the U.S.

First two Cerner RevWorksSM contracts signed

Introduced uCern™ and uDevelop™ platforms and 
opened uCern Store

Cerner honored as one of the best employers for healthy lifestyles by  
The National Business Group on Health

Cerner added to NASDAQ 100 Index

Neal Patterson recognized by Forbes as one of “America’s Best-Performing 
Bosses” for providing shareholders with the “biggest bang for the buck”

13

Cerner added to S&P 500 index

8,000 associates

Sepsis Rescue Agent—Screening Algorithm

Temp: 
>38C,
<36C 

HR: >95

RR: >21

Plasma
Glucose
>120 

Existing Patient 
in Acute Care 
Setting

Diagnosis of 
Diabetes?

Yes

Exclude 
from SIRS 
Criteria

Yes

WBC: 
>12k, <4k,
or >10% 
Bands 

Colony 
stimulating 
factors within 
last 60 days?

DTA’s Used for SIRS Criteria:
Temperature
Heart Rate
Respiratory Rate
Glucose Lvl
Blood Glucose, Capillary
WBC
Band Man     

Lactate 
>2.0
mmol/L 

Creatinine 
>2.0 gm/dl 

Continue 
Monitoring

No

2/5 SIRS
Criteria 
Met? 

Yes

Look back 48 
hours for organ 
dysfunction

Platelet
count
>100,000 

Bilirubin
>2.0mg/dl 

aPTT >60
seconds

SBP <90 
or MAP
<65mmHg 

SBP decrease
>40mmHg
from previous
reading

Mental 
Status
Change 

PaO2/FIO2
ratio <300

DTA’s Used for Organ Dysfunction:
Lactic Acid Lvl
Systolic Blood Pressure
Mean Arterial Pressure
Creatinine Level
Bili Total
Platelet Count
Neurological Symptoms
Level of Consciousness
Hallucinations Present 
Affect/Behavior 
Glasgow Coma Score
Pediatric Coma Score 
PTT
PaO2/FiO2 ratio  

Labs to be suggested to 
clinician if not found on 
database within timeframe:
Lactic Acid Lvl
Creatinine Level
Bili Total
Platelet Count
PTT
Blood Cultures
UA

Continue 
Monitoring

Yes

Patient taking 
recombinant 
human 
erythropoietins 

Diagnosis of 
ESRD?

No

Yes

No

Creatinine the 
only elevated 
lab?

No

Fire Sepsis
Alert / Send
Notifications

Heparin order 
within last 24 
hrs?

No

Yes

Exclude PTT 
from organ 
dysfunction 
criteria

Yes

At least 1 sign of 
organ dysfunction 
+ 2/5 SIRS

No

SIRS Alert-
Suggests labs/
cultures not 
found on 
database to 
clinician

Alert / Send
Notifications 

Discern Notify-
RN

Discern Notify-
RN
Physician
RRT-Pager

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: International guidelines for management of severe 
sepsis and septic shock: 2008 Intensive Care Med (2008) 34:17–60
DOI 10.1007/s00134-007-0934-2
International Sepsis Definitions Conference. Crit Care Med 2003; 31:1250 –1256. 
ACCP/SCCM Consensus Conference Committee: American College of Chest 
Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference: Definitions 
for sepsis and organ failure and guidelines for the use of innovative therapies in 
sepsis. Crit Care Med 1992; 20:864–874

© Cerner Corporation. All rights reserved.

Sepsis Rescue, a method of detecting potential cases of sepsis and alerting caregivers, originated inside the enterprise. 
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tenn., was the first organization that worked with Cerner to pioneer this 
innovation through the development of algorithms. Since then, a handful of other client enterprises have implemented 
variations  of  technology-based  sepsis  rescue,  to  great  success.  The  clients  who  have  adopted  this  solution  are  truly 
rescuing people from sepsis. The stories they tell are chilling and heartwarming at the same time—stories of patients 
being called back after discharge because the system alerted to the possibility of sepsis, of crash teams arriving on the 
scene before the ER physicians were aware they were needed and, most significantly, of lives being saved. One early 
adopter, WellSpan Health, shares that their implementation of Sepsis Rescue has reduced mortality from severe sepsis 
and septic shock inside their organization from 33 percent to a single-digit percentage.

Our plan is to take the same lifesaving technology that works inside the most sophisticated healthcare enterprises in the 
U.S. and make it work outside the confines of a single enterprise, in the New Middle. We are naming the cloud-based 
technology the St. John Sepsis Rescue agent in honor of our very first client, St. John Health System in Tulsa, Okla., whose 
leaders took a chance by selecting our little startup in 1981 over two much larger and more established competitors. St. 
John was the first, but not the last, of many clients that made it possible to truly pursue a vision together. Our intent is 
that the St. John Sepsis Rescue agent will likewise be the first, but not the last, of many new life-saving agents that will 
run out of the New Middle. 

In the long term, our plan is that these agents themselves will not be the last examples of what we can accomplish with 
the  New  Middle.  Value-based  payment  models,  health  maintenance  beyond  the  EMR  and  large-scale  coordination  of 
providers and consumers are also part of our vision.

Thank you for your attention through what has been a long letter. I don’t want to wrap up without giving you a couple of 
additional updates. One is about the Cerner leadership team, the other is a more personal update. 

14

 
 The Cerner Team

Inside Cerner, there is also a good story. This is in large part due to a strong, experienced team with more than 8,000 
associates executing well across a spectrum of client-oriented, technological, operational and administrative aspects 
of our organization. Our scale is becoming a major strength. 

Cerner’s senior leaders are working as a highly interrelated team on the vision for Cerner 2020. Each of us has a 
clearly defined job and set of responsibilities, but we are working together on realizing a shared vision for big Cerner.

2010 was a good year. Does that mean we are hitting on all cylinders? Probably not, but this may be as close as 
we have ever been. Our leaders are not only improving the productivity, performance and quality of the things they 
manage, but they are also innovating new solutions to complex problems and working in partnership with clients to 
lower their total cost of care. We believe in setting goals that make us stretch for continuous improvement, driving 
our core business while innovating new businesses and opportunity at our boundaries.  

I sometimes kid the executive team that their respective IQs seem to rise along with the stock price. However, we 
know both sides of the stock price/IQ effect, and know that many times it is helped by independent factors outside 
of our direct control. Its fluctuations have little effect on our decisions. I suggest to the team to let our parents enjoy 
the illusion that we are somehow smarter for a good stock price, as long as we know the truth. The truth is that we 
are standing on the shoulders of three decades of prior efforts, with the very good fortune of being at the right place 
at the right time, and with an impatience for how little we have actually accomplished. 

Over the decades, I have been a part of a number of leadership teams at Cerner. I am confident that this is one of 
the very best leadership teams that we could have at this phase of our journey. At the end, even though we are all 
major contributors, we know we are part of something that took decades to create and is larger than any one of us.

Neal’s List

Throughout my career, I have made lists. Knock one thing off, and another comes along to take its place. In closing, 
I want to share with you a very personal list, Neal’s list. It’s not ”the” list at Cerner—we carefully set top-down goals 
and objectives, and each Cerner executive develops his or her version of bottom-up goals and objectives. This is 
something different, and I will tell you why. 

This is the start of my fourth decade at Cerner. This is the first decade that I will not finish—at least not in the role of 
CEO. Unfortunately, there is a direct correlation between years of experience and chronological age. Often when I 
share Cerner’s age (31 years), I make the offsetting remark that Paul, Cliff and I were all in our 20s when we started 
Cerner. In my case, I was 29. If you add thirty-something to any age, the numbers start getting large. I don’t intend 
to end this decade as Cerner’s 70-year-old CEO … which is frustrating because this is going to be the most exciting 
decade yet. 

At some point during this decade, the core content of healthcare delivery will all be digitized. The second- and third-
order  effects  of  this  reality  should  be  mind-boggling.  This  has  been  the  case  in  nearly  every  other  industry,  and 
healthcare will be no different. Cerner will be one of the major innovators throughout. We have a chance to change 
the concept of medicine and the paradigm of practice toward engaging first with health. 

It’s exciting stuff. At this point in my journey, however, I must content myself with making a final inventory of unfinished 
business I want to see accomplished. Most of it is printed below, with a couple of exceptions. We are all entitled to 
a few secrets.  

First, a little disclaimer. If you think that this list is personal, it is. Some of it relates to people I know and love. In the 
list below, I use only one real name, that of my sister-in-law Linda. Elsewhere, when I say the person, I mean a specific 
person. When I say anyone, I mean someone in particular. In my experience, all Cerner associates end up thinking 
this way. At the end, healthcare becomes personal for all of us. Here’s the list: 

1.	 Fix the person’s personal health record. The fragmentation of information is everywhere, even after decades 
of investments in EMRs. Today there are some positive actions by governments around the world to deal 
with the issue they call “interoperability.” There is progress, but it is too little and too slow. The New Middle 
must be equipped to support a real personal health record. Every part of the fragmented provider system 

15

must be required to publish to our personal records. There must be a trusted agent to receive and manage all of 
the information in a secure, safe, reliable location, under the control of the person. Just ask anyone managing a 
serious illness where their personal health record is and you will get an emotional description of the vapor trail 
of records they have left through the healthcare “system.” A personal health record will not cure disease, but 
it will make navigating the system of care more efficient, safe and comforting for the person with the condition. 

2.	 Save Linda’s life. Make it systematic that preventable events that harm people are exposed to the appropriate 
caregivers and eliminated. This will not bring back Linda, but it may prevent the next 50-year-old schoolteacher 
from rural America from dying unnecessarily from the uninformed, sometimes inadequate, sloppy, delay-ridden 
thing  we  call  a  healthcare  system.  Make  the  Sepsis  Rescue  agent  real  from  the  New  Middle,  changing  the 
mortality rate across the continuum of care. All I ask is that we implement the St. John Sepsis Rescue agent as 
our first preventable condition running in ALL our clients worldwide. After that, I will trust the sanity of the crowd 
to add the next 400 conditions, then the next. 

3.	 Engage  us  in  our  health.  Make  the  big  contextual  shift—from  reactive  (symptomatic-base)  care  to  proactive 
(predictive-based) management of health. The transparency created by a digitized health system this decade 
will support the creation and maintenance of a dynamic, personalized health plan that puts individual health 
goals, including diet and exercise, into context along with current and likely future health problems (from already 
present  and  now  accessible  information  such  as  longitudinal  biomarkers,  family  history,  genetic  information, 
community epidemiology, etc.). We must crack the code on how to create interactive, meaningful engagement 
with the person (consumer) around the personalized health plan. If Apple, Google and Amazon can use algorithms 
to motivate us to buy books, music and “stuff,” Cerner can use available information about each member of a 
health plan to promote self-engagement in healthy lifestyles and decisions.  

I have another one that probably does not fit on this list because it is not all within Cerner’s control. 

4.	 With  all  of  the  focus  on  health  reform,  the  public  narrative  makes  it  clear  that  the  future  healthcare  system 
will require tough choices about what is deemed affordable. I have seen the power of personalized medicine. 
For our children’s sake, we must enable genetic science to be integrated into clinical practice. This will require 
both  bottom-up  and  top-down  solutions.  Bottom  up,  we  must  enable  genetic  information  and  insights  to  be 
incorporated into everyday workflows. Top down, we need a healthcare system that can afford to embrace new, 
expensive, life-preserving analyses and technologies. At current course and speed, this will be the first powerful 
new knowledge that society will not be able to benefit from—not because it isn’t possible but, because, for the 
first time, it will be too expensive. As a generation, we cannot let this happen.

Now  you  know  my  list.  Just  don’t  call  it  a  bucket  list,  please—that  one  actually  contains  much  bigger  thoughts.  As  I 
mentioned, mine isn’t the only list at Cerner. On an almost daily basis, I am impressed and inspired by our associates’ and 
clients’ goals. Success isn’t guaranteed for any of us, but I know it will be an exciting decade.

Close

As you can tell, it is not hard to find things in the Cerner story to share and discuss. What is difficult is knowing when to 
stop. We look forward to the future. To our shareholders, clients and associates, we thank you for investing in what is 
hopefully a shared and personal vision for all of us. Healthcare is too important to stay the same. 

16

 
NEAL L. PATTERSON
FOUNDER
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer  
& President

CLIFFORD W. ILLIG
FOUNDER
Vice Chairman

PAUL N. GORUP
FOUNDER
Senior Vice President 
& Chief of Innovation

JEFFREY A. TOWNSEND
Executive Vice President
& Chief of Staff

MICHAEL R. NILL
Executive Vice President  
& Chief Engineering Officer

MICHAEL G. VALENTINE
Executive Vice President 
& Chief Operating Officer

MARC G. NAUGHTON
Executive Vice President
& Chief Financial Officer

JULIA M. WILSON
Senior Vice President 
& Chief People Officer

17

 
 Appendix: Cerner’s Business Model and Financial Assessment

Introduction

This appendix is our annual discussion of our business model and financial performance. Note that some of the results 
in this discussion reflect adjustments compared to results reported on a Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) 
basis in our Form 10-K. Non-GAAP results should not be substituted as a measure of our performance but instead may 
be used along with GAAP results as a supplemental measure of financial performance. Non-GAAP results are used by 
management along with GAAP results to analyze our business, make strategic decisions, assess long-term trends on a 
comparable basis and for management compensation purposes. Please see the end of this appendix for a reconciliation 
of non-GAAP items to GAAP results.

The Cerner Business Model

The core of our business model is the creation of intellectual property (IP) in the form of software and other types of 
digital content. Our software is bundled with other technologies and services to create complete clinical and business 
solutions  for  healthcare  providers.  In  short,  we  build  it,  sell  it,  deliver  it,  run  it  and  support  it  for  healthcare  provider 
organizations around the world (“it” in this context refers to the solutions Cerner creates for healthcare organizations). 
Below is a graphical representation of our business model showing a top-to-bottom flow of how we convert new business 
opportunities and our backlog into revenue and earnings. 

At the top of our model is our Sales Pipeline of potential future business opportunities we have identified in the marketplace. 
Our sales pipeline has increased substantially over the past several years, reflecting a strong market for our solutions 
as  U.S.-based  providers  focus  on  achieving  the  “meaningful  use”  criteria  required  in  order  to  receive  the  incentives 
associated with the Health Information 
Technology  for  Economic  and  Clinical 
Health  (HITECH)  provisions  within  the 
American  Recovery  and  Reinvestment 
Act of 2009 (ARRA).

Sales Pipeline

New Contract Bookings: $2.0 billion

Support
Contracts

During  each  quarter,  we  sign  new 
contracts  to  deliver  our  solutions  to 
clients.  These  contract  signings  are 
reported as New Contract Bookings and 
become part of our contract backlog. A 
typical  new  contract  will  impact  our 
revenues  in  the  current  quarter  and 
for  the  next  several  quarters,  or  even 
years,  depending  on  how  the  licenses, 
technology,  subscriptions/transactions, 
managed  services  and  professional 
services  are  delivered.  For  longer  term 
contracts,  such  as  for  our  Remote 
ITWorksSM,  and  RevWorksSM 
Hosting, 
offerings,  contract  lengths  are  typically 
more than 5 years.

Almost  all  of  our  client  contracts  will 
also  contain  provisions  for  Support 
Contracts  in  which  Cerner  agrees  to 
provide  a  broad  set  of  services  that 
support our clients’ use of our solutions 
in  demanding  clinical  settings.  This 
support  includes  addressing  technical 
issues  related  to  our  software  and 
providing  access  to  future  releases 
of  licensed  software.  We  also  provide 
support  and  maintenance  agreements 
for  third  party  software  and  hardware 
that we resell to our clients.

Contract Backlog: $4.3 billion

Support Backlog: 
$655 million

Licensed
Software
$268M

System Sales

Technology
$177M

Total 2010 Revenue = $1,850M

Services, Support & Maintenance 

Subscriptions/
Transactions
$106M

Professional
Services
$455M

Managed
Services
$294M

Support &
Maintenance
$518M

Note: Total Revenue 
includes $32M 
of reimbursed 
travel revenue

x87%

x11%

$234M

$19M

x52%

$55M

x30%

$135M

x29%

x76%

$86M

$392M

Contribution Margin %

Total 2010 Contribution Margin =
$921M (50% of Revenue)

Contribution Margin $

Less:
Indirect Costs

R & D
14% of revenue
($266M)

SG & A
15% of revenue
($271M)

($537M)

Operating Margin

+

D&A

=

$384M, 21%

$194M

EBITDA
$578M
31%

Less: Taxes &
Net Int. Exp./Other Income

Taxes
($134M)

Net Interest
Exp./Other Income
$3M

($131M)

Net Earnings

$253M

÷
85M
Shares

Earnings Per Share
$2.96

18

 Continuing with our top-down business model flow, the value of the new contract bookings and support contracts rolls 
into our Contract Backlog and Support Backlog, respectively. Even though almost all of our systems are in service for 
decades, our reported support backlog only includes the expected value for one year of support revenue for all of our client 
support contracts. We report the value of these backlogs because we believe they are important to our shareholders’ 
ability to interpret the overall health of our business. Our total backlog (signed contracts with unrecognized revenues and 
one year of support for all support contracts) ended 2010 at $4.9 billion and has grown at healthy compounded annual 
rates of 15%, 18% and 23% over the past 3, 5 and 10 years, respectively.

At the core of our business model are our various revenue streams and the contribution each stream makes toward the 
profitability of Cerner. The contribution is stated as the recognized revenue less the direct cost to produce that revenue. 
On our business model graphic, we have depicted six revenue categories that roll into the two revenue line items on our 
income statement. Licensed Software, Technology and Subscriptions/Transactions make up the System Sales line 
of our income statement, and Professional Services, Managed Services, and Support & Maintenance make up the 
Services, Support & Maintenance line. Here is a description of each revenue stream: 
	  Licensed Software. We develop and license IP (our architectures, application software, executable and referential 
knowledge, data and algorithms) to our clients. Our standard license is perpetual—providing our clients permanent 
rights to use the software they purchase. This approach contrasts with the approach of many of our competitors who 
charge an additional license fee for new releases of their software. We believe our approach is part of the reason we 
have so many long-term client relationships—some lasting over three decades. We recognize revenues from licensed 
software as we achieve pre-defined client engagement milestones, such as delivery and installation of our software. 
In 2010, this type of revenue represented 14% of our total revenues with a profit contribution of 87%. Revenues from 
licensed software grew 6% in 2010 compared to 2009, with double-digit growth in the first three quarters of the year 
and a fourth quarter result that was the 2nd highest in company history—only lower than the all-time high level in the 
fourth quarter of 2009.

	  Technology  Resale.  We  bundle  licensed  software 
with  other  companies’  IP  (e.g.,  that  of  HP,  IBM, 
Microsoft, Oracle) in the form of sublicenses to create 
complete  technology  solutions  for  our  clients.  We 
also  resell  bundled  computer  equipment  (hardware) 
from  technology  companies  to  create  a  completely 
functional  system.  More  recently,  we  have  begun  to 
resell  medical  devices  for  a  growing  list  of  medical 
device companies, and this part of our business has 
shown  strong  growth  since  it  was  launched  in  2007. 
We recognize revenues from technology resale as the 
equipment is delivered to our clients. In 2010, these 
revenues  represented  9%  of  our  total  revenue  with 
a  profit  contribution  of  11%.  Even  at  lower  margins 
than the rest of our businesses, technology resale is 
valuable to Cerner as it is a driver of other high margin, 
high  visibility  revenue,  such  as  technical  services, 
sublicensed  software  support  and  equipment 
maintenance.  Technology  revenue  increased  16% 
in 2010, as growth in device resale and sublicensed 
software  offset  a  decline  in  traditional  hardware 
resale.

2010 Revenue Mix

Managed
Services
16%

Professional
Services
25%

Technology
Resale
9%

Licensed
Software
14%

Support &
Maintenance
28%

Travel 2%

Subscription/
Transactions 6%

	  Subscriptions/Transactions. Another method by which we provide IP is based on a subscription model that has a 
periodic usage charge. This is the primary way we package and provide medical knowledge, which changes frequently 
based on research and can be updated independently from the software in which it is embedded. Also included in 
this category of revenue is our Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) transaction revenue. EDI is the electronic transfer 
of  data  between  healthcare  providers  and  payers.  Both  the  subscription  and  transaction  model  revenue  streams 
are generally recognized monthly, and in 2010 they grew 7% and represented 6% of our total revenues with a profit 
contribution of 52%.

19

 	  Professional Services. We provide a wide range of professional services to assist our clients in the implementation 
of our information systems in their organizations. These services are in the form of project management, technical 
and application expertise, clinical process optimization and education and training of our clients’ workforce to assist 
in the design and implementation of our systems. We recognize revenues associated with these consulting activities 
as they are provided to our clients. In 2010, these revenues increased 15% due to increased implementation activity.  
Professional services represented 25% of our total 2010 revenue, and the profit contribution for this business model 
increased  from  28%  in  2009  to  30%  in  2010.  We  have  also  expanded  our  services  offerings  with  the  launch  of 
Cerner RevWorks, which includes solutions and services to help healthcare organizations improve their revenue cycle 
functions. We signed contracts with two clients for our RevWorks offering in 2010.

	  Managed  Services.  Under  our  CernerWorksTM  suite  of  solutions,  we  offer  a  set  of  technical  services  that  include 
Remote  Hosting,  Application  Management  Services,  Operational  Management  Services,  and  Disaster  Recovery. 
Remote Hosting is the largest of these offerings, and it involves Cerner buying the necessary equipment, installing it 
in one of our data centers and operating the entire system on the client’s behalf. The revenues for this service and 
our charge for the equipment are recognized monthly as we provide the services. Most of our clients still choose to 
own their own software license, so that portion of the revenue is unchanged. We own the equipment rather than 
selling it upfront to the client, which impacts the technology resale portion of revenue. Managed Services revenue 
grew 19% in 2010 and represented 16% of our total revenue with the profit contribution increasing from 28% to 29%. 
Additionally, in 2009, we launched Cerner ITWorks which involves further strategic alignment with clients, including 
Cerner taking on more of their IT functions. This initiative is off to a good start with six contracted clients as of the end 
of 2010. Contracts for our ITWorks offering also impact other business models in addition to Managed Services, such 
as Professional Services and Support.

	  Support & Maintenance. The final business model is comprised of the ongoing support and maintenance services we 
provide after our systems are in use by our client organizations. Almost all of our clients contract for these services. 
Clients with support contracts get 24x7 access to our Immediate Response Center, which serves as our “emergency 
room”,  as  well  as  access  to  a  very  knowledgeable  base  of  associates  in  our  SolutionWorks  organization  for  less 
urgent issues. In addition, our clients’ support payments give them ongoing access to the latest releases of our IP. 
We also provide support for sublicensed software and maintenance for third party hardware. In 2010, support and 
maintenance revenues grew 5%. This revenue stream represented 28% of total revenue with a profit contribution of 
76% (note that this profit contribution does not include a charge for research and development, which is treated as 
an indirect expense). 

The revenue categories discussed above add up to 98% of total revenue. The remaining 2% is revenue from reimbursed 
travel expenses related to our associates traveling to client locations. This revenue contributes no margin as it is simply 
a pass-through of our client-related travel expenses that are billed to our clients and required to be reported as revenue.

The two large indirect expenses in our business model are the costs of our Research and Development (R&D), which was 
equal to 14% of revenue in 2010, and the indirect portion of Selling, General and Administrative (SG&A) activities, which 
represented 15% of revenue in 2010.  We have a long history of investing heavily in R&D and using that investment to 
systematically expand our target markets to create organic growth. We expect to invest at least $1 billion in R&D over the 
next four to five years, an investment we believe is unmatched in our industry. Over the next several years, we expect the 
industrial strength of our Cerner Millennium® architecture and the enactment of several initiatives designed to leverage 
our  R&D  investments  to  slow  the  rate  of  increase  in  R&D  spending,  while  continuing  our  strong  record  of  innovation 
and organic growth. Similarly, we expect to take advantage of our scalable business infrastructure to reduce the rate of 
increase in SG&A spending to below our revenue growth rate. We expect this leverage to help improve operating margins 
without impacting our ability to develop and deliver new solutions to our clients.

In 2010, our operating margin of $384 million was 20.8% of revenue, an increase of 230 basis points compared to 2009. 
The remaining items in our business model are taxes and net interest expense and other income, which totaled $131 
million in 2010, leaving $253 million of net earnings, or $2.96 of earnings per share. 

Assessment of 2010 Financial Results

We continued to focus on three key financial objectives in 2010: growing the top line, expanding operating margins and 
generating free cash flow. 

20

 Growing the Top Line
Cerner has delivered strong revenue growth over the long term. Both our new business bookings and revenue have grown 
at more than 15% compound annual rates over the past 10 years. In 2010, we grew our new business bookings 9%, to a 
record $1.99 billion. Revenue grew 11% in 2010, to a record $1.85 billion. Looking at revenue by geographic segment, 
domestic revenue increased 12% and global revenue increased 5% in 2010.

In 2011, we again expect double-digit top-line growth. In the U.S., we expect demand driven by the healthcare IT provisions 
in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to continue to drive increased demand both inside and outside our client 
base. Innovative new solutions and services that have been introduced in the last few years are also expected to make 
a meaningful contribution to top-line growth in the coming years. Additionally, we expect growth in our global business to 
accelerate as the global economy strengthens. For more information on our growth strategy, refer to the Cerner Growth 
Strategy section in Part 1, Item 1 of our 2010 Form 10-K.

Expanding Operating Margins

In February of 2004, we mapped out our path from the 2003 level of 9% operating margins to our target of 20%. We have 
made very good progress since then, with our operating margin expanding nearly 1150 basis points to 20.8% in 2010. 
Our 2010 progress was slightly better than the 20% target we communicated last year, and we are targeting 100 to 200 
basis points of operating margin expansion in 2011.

The below graph and table detail our margin expansion since 2003.

Operating Margin

23%

21%

19%

17%

15%

13%

11%

9%

'03

'04

'05

'06

'07

'08

'09

'10

'11E

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011E

Contribution Margin

Licensed Software

Technology

Subscription/Transaction

Professional Services

Managed Services

Support & Maintenance

Total Contribution Margin

Indirect Costs % of Revenue

R&D

SG&A

Total

89%

17%

10%

15%

18%

53%

41%

19%

13%

31%

88%

20%

12%

23%

20%

57%

45%

19%

14%

33%

85%

13%

37%

27%

25%

62%

46%

18%

15%

33%

84%

11%

43%

27%

25%

65%

46%

18%

15%

32%

89%

12%

49%

29%

25%

69%

47%

17%

15%

32%

88%

12%

50%

29%

26%

72%

48%

16%

15%

31%

88%

11%

52%

28%

28%

74%

50%

16%

16%

32%

87%

11%

52%

30%

29%

76%

50%

14%

15%

29%

87%

11%

53%

31%

30%

77%

50%

14%

14%

28%

Operating Margin

9.3%

12.4%

12.6%

Cumulative Improvement (basis points)

313bp

335bp

13.4%

413bp

15.1%

579bp

16.6%

729bp

18.5%

20.8%

22.3%

922bp

1148bp

1301bp

21

 Highlights of the margin expansion drivers include:

	  Increase profitability of Support & Maintenance. As we have continued to harden the Cerner Millennium platform, 
our incremental cost to support each additional client has declined. We expect this to continue, which will allow us to 
expand the profitability of this highly visible revenue stream.

	  Expand Professional Services Margins. We will continue to leverage our Solutions Center implementation approach, 
which  has  higher  margins  than  traditional  on-site  projects.  Ongoing  efficiencies  are  also  expected  from  initiatives 
such as our Bedrock® technology, which automates much of the implementation and management of our Cerner 
Millennium  information  platform,  and  our  MethodM®  implementation  methodology  approach,  which  provides 
standardized processes during implementation. These initiatives reduce the implementation costs for Cerner and our 
clients while delivering more predictable outcomes, allowing for margin expansion and a competitive advantage in the 
marketplace.

	  Leverage R&D investments. Leveraging our significant R&D investment and common platform should allow us to 
continue  our  record  of  innovation  while  growing  R&D  investment  at  a  rate  that  is  slower  than  our  top-line  growth 
rate. The key to doing this will be our ability to extend our solutions to new revenue opportunities, such as the global 
marketplace, without significant incremental costs. Efficiencies from our operations in India will also contribute to our 
ability to control the rate of R&D growth.

	  Leverage Sales, General, and Administrative expenses, bringing SG&A as a percentage of revenue down from 
15%  to  14%  in  2011.  We  have  built  a  scalable  business  infrastructure  that  should  allow  us  to  keep  our  SG&A 
spending growth rate lower than our top-line growth rate.

	  Expand Managed Services Margins. As we grow our remote hosting business, we expect that we will continue to 

achieve efficiencies as we transition to newer, less expensive technologies.

	  Increase  Margins  and  grow  revenue  in  Subscriptions  /  Transactions  business  model.  This  business  model  is 
relatively immature, but has good growth potential, and we expect it to become more profitable as it grows and the 
fixed costs associated with supporting it are spread over a higher revenue base.

A  key  point  regarding  our  margin  expansion  strategy  is  that  we  are 
executing it while our business model is transitioning to more visible and 
recurring revenue components. For example, in 2000, approximately 
55%  of  our  revenue  (before  reimbursed  travel)  came  from  what  we 
consider visible or recurring sources such as Professional Services, 
Managed  Services,  Subscriptions/Transactions  and  Support  & 
Maintenance. In 2010, 75% of our revenue came from these sources. 
During the same time period, Contribution Margin from recurring or 
visible sources increased from 41% to 73%.

Earnings Growth

Strong revenue growth and margin expansion allowed us to grow our 
earnings  24%  in  2010.  Our  3-,  5-,  and  10-year  compound  annual 
earnings  growth  rates  of  20%,  24%,  and  29%,  respectively,  reflect 
our ability to drive long-term earnings growth. Going forward, our top-
line  growth  strategies  coupled  with  continued  focus  on  productivity 
enhancements and margin expansion position us well for continued 
strong earnings growth.

Generating Cash Flow

A healthy business generates cash flow. Perhaps our most significant 
improvement  in  recent  years  has  been  our  cash  flow  performance. 
2010 was a record year for cash performance with $456 million of 
operating cash flow and $273 million of free cash flow (operating cash 
flow  less  capital  expenditures  and  capitalized  software).  Operating 
cash flow increased 31% in 2010 and free cash flow increased 98% 
due to growth in operating cash flow as well as capital expenditures 
that were lower than anticipated. For the first time in our history, free 
cash flow exceeded net earnings for the full year. We expect capital 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

$500

$450

$400

$350

$300

$250

$200

$150

$100

$50

$0

($50)

22

25%

27%

45%

55%

75%

59%

41%

73%

2000

2010

Revenue

2010
2000
Contribution Margin

Non-recurring

Recurring and Visible

Operating Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow

'00

'01

'02

'03

'04

'05

'06

'07

'08

'09

'10

*FCF = Operating CF less Capital Expenditures and Capitalized Software

 expenditures to increase in 2011 compared to 2010, which will have some impact on free cash flow growth, but we still 
expect to generate strong free cash flow.

Stock Price

At Cerner, we manage the company, not the stock price. In the short-term, the stock price can be influenced by many 
factors beyond our control, but we believe in the long-term it will closely reflect the quality of our decisions. We believe 
it  is  important  for  our  shareholders  that  we  focus  on  delivering  strong  long-term  results,  but  we  also  understand  the 
importance of delivering consistently against short-term targets. 

Following  the  economic  turmoil  of  2008  and  early  2009,  the  stock  market  continued  its  rebound  in  2010,  with  the 
NASDAQ  Composite  Index  and  S&P  500  ending  2010  up  17%  and  13%,  respectively.  Cerner’s  stock  price  increased 
15% in 2010, reflecting our delivery of strong results and good broader market performance. When measuring our stock 
performance over the 5-, 10- and 20-year periods using compound annual growth rates, the returns are 16%, 15% and 
29%, respectively. These returns are significantly greater than the returns over the same time frames for the NASDAQ 
Composite Index (4%, 1%, and 10%) and S&P 500 (0%, 0%, 7%). 

Reconciliation of 2010 GAAP Results to Non-GAAP Results*

($ in millions except Earnings Per Share)

GAAP Operating Earnings

Share-based compensation expense

Adjusted Operating Earnings

GAAP Net Earnings

Share-based compensation expense

Income tax benefit of share-based compensation

Adjusted Net Earnings (non-GAAP)

Operating 
Earnings

  $ 

  $ 

359

25

384

Net 
Earnings

  $ 

237

25

(9)

  $ 

253

Reconciliation of GAAP Operating Cash Flow to Non-GAAP Free Cash Flow

Cash flows from operating activities

Capital purchases

Capitalized software development costs

Free cash flow (FCF)

*More detail on these adjustments and management’s use of Non-GAAP results is in our 2010 Forms 10-K and 8-K.

Operating 
Margin %

19.4%

20.8%

Diluted 
Earnings 
Per Share

$  2.78

  0.29

(0.11)

$  2.96

Cash Flow

$  456

(102)

(81)

$  273

23

   
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ANNUAL REPORT 2010
FORM 10-K

24





UNITED STATES 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended: January 1, 2011
OR
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ____________ to ____________

Commission file number: 0-15386

CERNER CORPORATION
 (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware

(State or other jurisdiction of
Incorporation or organization)

2800 Rockcreek Parkway
North Kansas City, MO

(Address of principal executive offices)

43-1196944

(I.R.S. Employer 
Identification No.)

64117

(Zip Code)

(816) 221-1024
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 
Common Stock, $.01 par value per share
(Title of Class)

NASDAQ Stock Market
(Name of exchange on which registered)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes [X]

No [ ]

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes [ ]

No [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing 
requirements for the past 90 days. 

Yes [X]

No [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File 
required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such 
shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes [X]

No [ ]

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and 
will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 
10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [X]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. 
See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer [X]

Smaller reporting company [ ]

Non-accelerated filer [ ]

Accelerated filer [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes [ ]

No [X]

As of July 3, 2010, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $5,631,943,354 based 

on the closing sale price as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

Class

[Common Stock, $.01 par value per share]

Outstanding at February 10, 2011

83,380,384 shares

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Document

Proxy Statement for the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting to be held May 27, 2011 (Proxy Statement)

Parts Into Which Incorporated
Part III

25

PART I

Item 1.  Business

Overview
Cerner  Corporation  is  a  Delaware  business  corporation  formed  in  1980.  Unless  the  context  otherwise  requires, 
references in this report to “Cerner,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” mean Cerner Corporation and its subsidiaries. 

Our corporate headquarters are located at 2800 Rockcreek Parkway, North Kansas City, Missouri 64117. Our telephone 
number is 816.221.1024. Our Web site address, which we use to communicate important business information, can 
be accessed at: www.cerner.com. We make our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current 
reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports available free of charge on or through this Web site as soon 
as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (SEC).

Cerner’s mission is to contribute to the systemic improvements of healthcare delivery and the health of communities. 
We are a leading supplier of healthcare information technology (HIT) solutions, healthcare devices and related services, 
and  are  transforming  healthcare  by  eliminating  error,  variance  and  waste  for  healthcare  providers  and  consumers. 
Cerner®  solutions  optimize  processes  for  healthcare  organizations  ranging  in  size  from  single-doctor  practices,  to 
health systems, to entire countries, for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, for consumers of healthcare 
and for the healthcare commerce system. These solutions are licensed by approximately 9,000 facilities around the 
world, including more than 2,600 hospitals; 3,500 physician practices covering more than 30,000 physicians; 500 
ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 
800 home health facilities; and 1,600 retail pharmacies.

We design and develop most of our software solutions on the unified Cerner Millennium® architecture, a person-centric 
computing framework, which combines clinical, financial and management information systems. This architecture allows 
providers to securely access an individual’s electronic health record (EHR) at the point of care, and it organizes and 
proactively delivers information to meet the specific needs of physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, 
front- and back-office professionals and consumers.

We also offer a broad range of services, including implementation and training, remote hosting, operational management 
services, revenue cycle services, support and maintenance, healthcare data analysis, clinical process optimization, 
transaction  processing,  employer  health  centers,  employee  wellness  programs  and  third  party  administrator  (TPA) 
services for employer-based health plans.

The following table presents our consolidated revenues by major solutions and services and by segment, as a 
percentage of total revenues:

For the Years Ended

2010

2009

2008

Revenues by Solutions & Services

System sales

Support and maintenance

Services

Reimbursed travel

Revenues by Segment

Domestic

Global

30%

28%

40%

2%

100%

84%

16%

100%

31%

28%

39%

2%

100%

78%

22%

100%

30%

29%

39%

2%

100%

84%

16%

100%

26

 
The	Healthcare	and	Healthcare	IT	Industry
We believe there are several factors that are favorable for the HIT industry over the next decade, despite some lingering 
weakness  in  the  global  economy.  Because  HIT  solutions  play  an  important  role  in  healthcare  by  improving  safety, 
efficiency and reducing cost, they are often viewed as more strategic than other capital purchases. Most United States 
healthcare  providers  also  recognize  that  they  must  invest  in  HIT  to  meet  regulatory,  compliance  and  government 
reimbursement  requirements  and  incentive  opportunities.  In  addition,  with  the  Centers  for  Medicare  and  Medicaid 
Services  estimating  United  States  healthcare  spending  at  $2.6  trillion  or  17.5  percent  of  2010  Gross  Domestic 
Product, politicians and policymakers agree that the growing cost of our healthcare system is unsustainable. Leaders 
of both political parties recognize that the intelligent use of information systems will improve health outcomes and, 
correspondingly, drive down costs. This belief is supported by a 2005 study by RAND Corp., which estimated that the 
widespread adoption of HIT in the United States could cut healthcare costs by $162 billion annually. 

The broad recognition that HIT is essential to helping control healthcare costs and improve quality contributed to the 
inclusion of HIT incentives in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The Health Information Technology 
for  Economic  and  Clinical  Health  (HITECH)  provisions  within  ARRA  include  more  than  $35  billion  in  incentives  for 
healthcare organizations to modernize operations through “meaningful use” of HIT. These incentives are contributing 
to increased demand for HIT solutions and services in the United States.

Another element in the United States marketplace is the recently passed healthcare reform legislation. We believe the 
legislation, which promises to drive insurance coverage to an estimated 32 million additional consumers, could have 
many second order effects on our clients. For example, healthcare providers may face increased volumes that could 
create capacity constraints, and they may find it challenging to profitably provide care at the planned reimbursement 
rates under the expanded coverage models. We also expect additional compliance and reporting challenges for our 
clients in the areas of pay-for-quality, ICD-10 coding requirements, and waste, fraud and abuse measures. 

We  believe  the  above  factors  create  strong  incentives  for  providers  to  maximize  efficiency  and  create  the  need  for 
additional investments in HIT solutions and services. Cerner is well positioned to benefit from this expected increase 
in demand due to our large footprint in United States hospitals and physician practices and our proven ability to deliver 
value to our clients. 

Outside the United States, the economic downturn of the last few years has impacted and could continue to impact our 
results. However, we believe long-term revenue growth opportunities outside the United States remain significant because 
other countries are also focused on controlling healthcare spending while improving the efficiency and quality of care that 
is delivered, and many of these countries recognize HIT as an important piece of the solution to these issues.

In summary, while the current economic environment has impacted our business, we believe the fundamental value 
proposition of HIT remains strong. The HIT industry will likely benefit as healthcare providers and governments continue 
to recognize that these solutions and services contribute to safer, more efficient healthcare.

Cerner	Vision
Cerner’s  vision  has  evolved  from  a  fundamental  thought:  Healthcare  should  revolve  around  the  individual,  not  the 
encounter. This concept led to Cerner’s vision of the unified Cerner Millennium architecture and a Community Health 
Model, which encompasses four steps:

Automate the Care Process
We offer a longitudinal, person-centric EHR, which gives clinicians electronic access to the right information at the right 
time and place to achieve optimal health outcomes.

Connect the Person
We are dedicated to building a personal health system. Medical information and care regimens accessible from home 
empower consumers to effectively manage their conditions and adhere to treatment plans, creating a new medium 
between physicians and individuals.

27

Structure the Knowledge
We are dedicated to building systems that help bring the best science to every medical decision by structuring, storing 
and studying the content surrounding each care episode to achieve optimal clinical and financial outcomes.

Close the Loop
Incorporating a medical discovery into daily practice can take as long as 10 years. We are dedicated to building systems 
that implement evidence-based medicine, reducing the average time between discovery of an improved method to a 
change in the standard of care.

As  our  vision  evolves,  we  expect  medicine  will  become  increasingly  personalized  and  technology  more  accessible. 
We are creating new solutions and collaborative, information-sharing networks for large user communities, including 
strategies to:

g	

g	

g	

	Connect all stakeholders in the healthcare system, including payers (employers and governments), providers 
and consumers
	Remove clinical, financial and administrative friction
	Create a secure, transparent and open network for data sharing to improve disease management and facilitate 
personalized medicine

To achieve this vision, we are leveraging the Cerner Millennium architecture and expanding our solutions and services, 
as discussed below.

Cerner	Growth	Strategy
Our business strategies are anchored by our industry-leading solution and device architectures, the breadth and depth 
of our solutions and services, our proven ability to deliver value, and, most importantly, the success of our clients. A 
core strength that has led to this strong market position is our proven ability to innovate, which has driven consistent 
expansion of solutions and services, entry into new markets and strong long-term growth. 

We believe our strengths position us well to gain market share in the United States during a period of expected strong 
demand driven by the HITECH provisions of ARRA and the nation’s focus on improving the efficiency and quality of 
healthcare. We also have a strong global brand and a presence in more than 25 countries and believe we have a good 
opportunity to gain market share outside of the United States. 

We  also  have  a  significant  opportunity  to  grow  revenues  by  expanding  our  solution  footprint  in  existing  clients.  In 
addition  to  the  opportunity  to  expand  penetration  of  our  core  solutions,  such  as  EHRs  and  computerized  physician 
order  entry,  we  have  a  broad  range  of  complementary  solutions  that  can  be  offered  into  our  existing  client  base. 
Examples include solutions and services for women’s health, anesthesiology, imaging, clinical process optimization, 
critical care, medical device connectivity, emergency department, revenue cycle and surgery.

Additionally, we have introduced new services targeted at capturing a larger percent of our clients’ existing IT spending. 
These services leverage our proven operational capabilities and the success of our CernerWorksSM managed services 
business, where we have demonstrated the ability to improve our clients’ service levels at a cost that is at or below 
amounts  they  were  previously  spending.  One  of  these  new  services  is  Cerner  ITWorksSM,  a  suite  of  services  that 
improve the ability of hospital IT departments to meet their organization’s needs while also creating a closer alignment 
between Cerner and our clients. A second example is Cerner RevWorksSM, which includes solutions and services to help 
healthcare organizations improve their revenue cycle functions. 

We have made good progress over the past several years at reducing the total cost of ownership of our solutions, which 
expands our end market opportunities by allowing us to offer lower-cost, higher-value solutions and services to smaller 
community  hospitals,  critical  access  hospitals  and  physician  practices.  For  example,  our  CommunityWorks  offering 
leverages a shared instance of the Cerner Millennium platform across multiple clients, which decreases the total cost 
of ownership for these clients. Our ability to address these markets has also been aided by our Bedrock® technology, 
which  automates  much  of  the  implementation  and  management  of  the  Cerner  Millennium  platform.  We  have  also 
streamlined implementations and made them more predictable through our MethodM® implementation methodology, 
which  draws  upon  practices  proven  to  be  effective  during  thousands  of  past  implementations.  Additionally,  we  are 
reducing up-front hardware costs and ongoing technology obsolescence risks through our remote-hosted, managed 
services offering, CernerWorks.

28

	
	
	
We also expect to drive growth over the course of the next decade through initiatives outside the core HIT market. For 
example, we offer clinic, pharmacy and wellness services directly to employers and we expanded our presence in the 
employer-sponsored health center market with the acquisition of IMC Health Care, Inc. in January 2010. Additionally, 
as  described  below,  we  believe  being  able  to  connect  employers,  governments  and  consumers  directly  with  their 
healthcare providers through a New Middle™ presents a substantial growth opportunity as we aim to help eliminate the 
friction that consumes more than 30 percent of healthcare spending.

Creating	the	Cerner	Network	and	The	New	Middle
Several years ago, we introduced a surveillance system called the LightsOn Network®, which identifies performance 
problems in real time and has the ability to predict issues that could create system vulnerability. With more than 300 
participating clients, the LightsOn solution has become an evidence-based network that enhances performance and 
allows our clients to maximize the value they gain from our systems. Our LightsOn solution also shows our ability to 
create a network—a common platform of learning and improvements from which all our clients can benefit. 

Along these lines, we have created the uCern™ platform, a collaboration and social networking platform which gives 
clients a place where they can collaborate with peers or Cerner associates about topics ranging from healthcare reform 
to solution enhancements to project status updates. Approximately 95 percent of our core Cerner Millennium clients 
actively engage on this platform. Additionally, we have created the uDevelop™ solution, a collaborative ecosystem that 
supports a unique audience of engineers, including both our associates and external developers, who work to improve 
our solutions; and the uCern Store, which offers our clients quick access to innovations developed by Cerner, as well 
as outside organizations and individuals.

To highlight one area where coordinating information across the fragmented delivery system is gaining traction, our 
Cerner  Network  and  Health  Information  Exchange  (HIE)  offerings  create  better  clinical  integration  and  coordination 
of care by facilitating secure electronic flow of data between hospitals, physician practices, and other stakeholders, 
regardless of the EHR system being used. We have had early success with our clients in building out HIEs and Cerner 
Network  services  that  are  providing  value,  and  nearly  50  million  clinical  and  financial  transactions  go  across  the 
network each month.

Another key element of our strategy for improving the coordination and quality of care is our Healthe Intent™ platform, 
a cloud-based platform that we expect to be the basis for many future offerings. In 2010, we launched Healthe Intent 
Chart  Search,  our  first  solution  on  this  platform.  Healthe  Intent  Chart  Search  leverages  knowledge  of  the  clinical 
meanings of words located within the EMR as well as the context in which those words occur to create algorithms that 
identify and rank the most important information contextually. This capability allows the physician to efficiently search 
through a patient’s health record and identify relevant information in a matter of seconds. In the coming years, we 
believe the Healthe Intent platform will continue to evolve in sophistication to the point where it can anticipate and 
determine the clinical intent based on the behavior of the specific user, the history of the patient and the context of 
prior actions.

The Healthe Intent platform also provides the ability to apply sophisticated, statistical algorithms against contextual 
clinical activity to recommend clinical action. For example, our first national Health Agent is an intelligent mechanism 
developed in collaboration with clients, which can assist in detecting the conditions that indicate a patient may be 
developing Sepsis, a potentially fatal condition in which the bloodstream is overwhelmed by bacteria. Nearly 750,000 
Americans are affected by Sepsis each year. Early results based on initial client use of this algorithm have reflected 
remarkable reductions in Sepsis mortality rates, and we believe that moving this capability to a Health Agent in the 
cloud will allow us to demonstrate the speed at which new capabilities and evidence can be deployed to our clients.

Through these connections and networks, we are creating the building blocks for an entirely new healthcare system 
that will introduce much-needed competition for our current, insurance-based infrastructure. In this new system, a New 
Middle would enhance care and reduce friction by facilitating the sharing of relevant clinical and financial information 
between payers, consumers and providers. 

Furthermore,  in  the  New  Middle,  consumers  would  have  a  personal  health  record,  giving  them  ready  access  to 
information on both the price and quality of the care they receive. This record would have the consumer’s complete 
medical  history  and  a  predictive  model  of  future  needs  based  on  his  or  her  unique  genetic  code.  Armed  with  this 
information, consumers would have financial incentives to focus on controlling chronic conditions and reducing the 
impact of future maladies. 

29

With more complete patient information, providers could focus on preventive rather than reactive medicine. Through 
this  New  Middle,  providers  could  communicate  instantly  with  the  rest  of  the  patient’s  care  team,  and  they  would 
receive immediate point-of-service payments for the delivery of appropriate care rather than waiting weeks or months 
while claims work through the reimbursement process. 

Lastly, we believe the New Middle would provide the segments of our society that pay for healthcare—employers or 
governments—a health system with less variance, cost and waste while maximizing the quality of care for all of us.

Software	Development
We  commit  significant  resources  to  developing  new  health  information  system  solutions.  As  of  the  end  of  2010, 
approximately  2,400  associates  were  engaged  in  research  and  development  activities.  Total  expenditures  for  the 
development  and  enhancement  of  our  software  solutions  were  approximately  $284.8  million,  $285.2  million  and 
$291.4 million during the 2010, 2009 and 2008 fiscal years, respectively. These figures include both capitalized and 
non-capitalized portions and exclude amounts amortized for financial reporting purposes. 

As discussed above, continued investment in research and development remains a core element of our strategy. This 
will include ongoing enhancement of our core solutions and development of new solutions and services.

Sales	and	Marketing
The markets for Cerner HIT solutions, healthcare devices and services include integrated delivery networks, physician 
groups and networks, managed care organizations, hospitals, medical centers, free-standing reference laboratories, 
home  health  agencies,  blood  banks,  imaging  centers,  pharmacies,  pharmaceutical  manufacturers,  employers, 
governments and public health organizations. The majority of our sales are sales of clinical solutions and services to 
hospital and health systems, but the Cerner Millennium architecture is highly scalable and organizations ranging from 
several-doctor physician practices, to community hospitals, to complex integrated delivery networks, to local, regional 
and national government agencies use our Cerner Millennium solutions. 

As previously discussed, we have focused on reducing the total cost of ownership of our systems, which allows us to be 
price competitive across the full size and organizational structure range of healthcare providers. Sales to large health 
systems typically take approximately nine to 18 months, while the sales cycle is often shorter when selling to smaller 
hospitals and physician practices. We have seen some indications that the HITECH provisions of ARRA may shorten the 
sales process due to the timeline required for hospitals to earn stimulus incentives.

Our executive marketing management is located at our Innovation Campus in Kansas City, Missouri, while our client 
representatives  are  deployed  across  the  United  States  and  globally.  In  addition  to  the  United  States,  through  our 
subsidiaries,  we  have  sales  associates  and/or  offices  in  Australia,  Canada,  Chile,  England,  France,  Germany,  India, 
Ireland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. 

We support our sales force with technical personnel who perform demonstrations of  Cerner solutions and services 
and  assist  clients  in  determining  the  proper  hardware  and  software  configurations.  Our  primary  direct  marketing 
strategy is to generate sales contacts from our existing client base and through presentations at industry seminars and 
tradeshows. We market the PowerWorks® solutions, offered on a subscription basis, directly to the physician practice 
market using telemarketing, channel partners and through existing acute care clients that are looking to extend Cerner 
solutions  to  affiliated  physicians.  We  attend  a  number  of  major  tradeshows  each  year  and  sponsor  executive  user 
conferences, which feature industry experts who address the HIT needs of large healthcare organizations.

Client	Services
Substantially all of Cerner’s HIT software solutions clients enter into software maintenance agreements with us for 
support of their Cerner systems. In addition to immediate software support in the event of problems, these agreements 
allow clients to access new releases of the Cerner solutions covered by maintenance agreements. Each client has 24-
hour access to the client support team located at our world headquarters in North Kansas City, Missouri and our global 
support organizations in England and Ireland.

30

Most  clients  who  buy  hardware  through  Cerner  also  enter  into  hardware  maintenance  agreements  with  us.  These 
arrangements  normally  provide  for  a  fixed  monthly  fee  for  specified  services.  In  the  majority  of  cases,  we  utilize 
subcontractors to meet our hardware maintenance obligations. We also offer a set of managed services that include 
remote hosting, operational management services and disaster recovery.

Backlog
At the end of 2010, we had a contract backlog of approximately $4.3 billion as compared to approximately $3.6 billion 
at the end of 2009. Such backlog represents system sales and services from signed contracts that have not yet been 
recognized as revenue. At the end of 2010, we had approximately $140.0 million of contracts receivable compared to 
$135.3 million at the end of 2009, which represents revenues recognized but not yet billable under the terms of the 
contract. At the end of 2010, we had a software support and maintenance backlog of approximately $654.9 million as 
compared to approximately $620.6 million at the end of 2009. Such backlog represents contracted software support 
and  hardware  maintenance  services  for  a  period  of  12  months.  We  estimate  that  approximately  31  percent  of  the 
aggregate backlog at the end of 2010 of $4.9 billion will be recognized as revenue during 2011. 

Competition
The  market  for  HIT  solutions,  devices  and  services  is  intensely  competitive,  rapidly  evolving  and  subject  to  rapid 
technological  change.  Our  principal  competitors  in  the  healthcare  solutions  and  services  market  include:  Allscripts 
Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Computer Programs and Systems, Inc., Epic Systems Corporation, GE Healthcare Technologies, 
iSoft  Group  Limited,  McKesson  Corporation,  Medical  Information  Technology,  Inc.  (Meditech)  and  Siemens  Medical 
Solutions Health Services Corporation, each of which offers a suite of software solutions that compete with many of 
our software solutions and services.

Other competitors focus on only a portion of the market that we address. For example, competitors such as Accenture, 
Capgemini, Computer Sciences Corporation, Computer Task Group, Inc. (CTG), Dell, Inc., Deloitte LLP, Hewlett-Packard 
Company and IBM Corporation offer HIT services that compete directly with our consulting services. Athenahealth, Inc., 
eClinicalWorks LLC, e-MDs, Inc., Greenway Medical Technologies, Quality Systems, Inc. and Sage Software Healthcare 
LLC  offer  solutions  to  the  physician  practice  market  but  do  not  currently  have  a  significant  presence  in  the  health 
systems and independent hospital market.

Cerner  partners  with  third  parties  as  a  reseller  of  devices  and  markets  its  own  competing  proprietary  healthcare 
devices; we view our principal competitors in the healthcare device market to include: CapsuleTech, Inc., CareFusion 
Corporation, GE Healthcare Technologies, McKesson Corporation, Omnicell, Inc. and Royal Philips Electronics; and we 
view our principal competitors in the healthcare transactions market to include: Capario, Inc., Emdeon Corporation, 
Ingenix, Inc. (a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, Inc.) and McKesson Corporation, with almost all of these competitors 
being substantially larger or having more experience and market share than us in their respective market.

In addition, we expect that major software information systems companies, large information technology consulting 
service  providers  and  system  integrators,  start-up  companies,  managed  care  companies  and  others  specializing  in 
the  healthcare  industry  may  offer  competitive  software  solutions,  devices  or  services.  The  pace  of  change  in  the 
HIT market is rapid and there are frequent new software solutions, devices or service introductions, enhancements 
and  evolving  industry  standards  and  requirements.  We  believe  that  the  principal  competitive  factors  in  this  market 
include the breadth and quality of solution and service offerings, the stability of the solution provider, the features and 
capabilities of the information systems and devices, the ongoing support for the systems and devices and the potential 
for enhancements and future compatible software solutions and devices.

Number	of	Employees	(Associates)
At the end of 2010, we employed approximately 8,200 associates worldwide.

Operating	Segments
Information about our operating segments, which are geographically based, may be found in Item 7 “Management’s 
Discussion  and  Analysis  of  Financial  Condition  and  Results  of  Operations”  below  and  in  Note  (18)  to  the  financial 
statements.

31

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The following table sets forth the names, ages, positions and certain other information regarding the Company’s executive 
officers as of February 10, 2011. Officers are elected annually and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. 

Name

Age

Positions

Neal L. Patterson

Clifford W. Illig

Marc G. Naughton

Michael R. Nill

Randy D. Sims

Jeffrey A. Townsend 

Mike Valentine

Julia M. Wilson

61

60

55

46

50

47

42 

48

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer  
and President

Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Executive Vice President and Chief Engineering Officer

Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Executive Vice President

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer

Neal L. Patterson has been Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of the Company for more 
than five years. Mr. Patterson has served as President of the Company since July 2010, which position he also held 
from March of 1999 until August of 1999.

Clifford W. Illig has been a Director of the Company for more than five years. He previously served as Chief Operating 
Officer of the Company until October 1998 and as President of the Company until March of 1999. Mr. Illig was appointed 
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors in March of 1999.

Marc G. Naughton joined the Company in November 1992 as Manager of Taxes. In November 1995 he was named 
Chief  Financial  Officer  and  in  February  1996  he  was  promoted  to  Vice  President.  He  was  promoted  to  Senior  Vice 
President in March 2002 and promoted to Executive Vice President in March 2010. 

Michael R. Nill joined the Company in November 1996. Since that time he has held several positions in the Technology, 
Intellectual  Property  and  CernerWorks  client  hosting  organizations.  He  was  promoted  to  Vice  President  in  January 
2000, promoted to Senior Vice President in April 2006 and promoted to Executive Vice President and named Chief 
Engineering Officer in February 2009. 

Randy  D.  Sims  joined  the  Company  in  March  1997  as  Vice  President  and  Chief  Legal  Officer.  Prior  to  joining  the 
Company, Mr. Sims worked at Farmland Industries, Inc. for three years where he served most recently as Associate 
General  Counsel.  Prior  to  Farmland,  Mr.  Sims  was  in-house  legal  counsel  at  The  Marley  Company  for  seven  years, 
holding the position of Assistant General Counsel when he left to join Farmland.

Jeffrey A. Townsend joined the Company in June 1985. Since that time he has held several positions in the Intellectual 
Property  Organization  and  was  promoted  to  Vice  President  in  February  1997.  He  was  appointed  Chief  Engineering 
Officer in March 1998, promoted to Senior Vice President in March 2001 and promoted to Executive Vice President in 
March 2005. 

32

Mike Valentine joined the Company in December 1998 as Director of Technology. He was promoted to Vice President in 
2000 and to President of Cerner Mid America in January of 2003. In February 2005, he was named General Manager 
of the United States Client Organization and was promoted to Senior Vice President in March 2005. He was promoted 
to Executive Vice President in March 2007 and named Chief Operation Officer in January 2010. Prior to joining the 
Company, Mr. Valentine was with Accenture Consulting.

Julia M. Wilson joined the Company in November 1995. Since that time, she has held several positions in the Functional 
Group Organization. She was promoted to Vice President and Chief People Officer in August 2003 and to Senior Vice 
President in March 2007.

33

Item 1A.  Risk Factors

Risks Related to Cerner Corporation

We	 may	 incur	 substantial	 costs	 related	 to	 product-related	 liabilities.  Many  of  our  software  solutions,  healthcare 
devices or services (including life sciences/research services) are intended for use in collecting, storing and displaying 
clinical and healthcare-related information used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients and in related healthcare 
settings such as admissions, billing, etc. We attempt to limit by contract our liability; however, the limitations of liability 
set forth in the contracts may not be enforceable or may not otherwise protect us from liability for damages. We may 
also be subject to claims that are not covered by contract, such as a claim directly by a patient. Although we maintain 
liability insurance coverage in an amount that we believe is sufficient for our business, there can be no assurance that 
such coverage will cover any particular claim that has been brought or that may be brought in the future, prove to be 
adequate or that such coverage will continue to remain available on acceptable terms, if at all. A successful material 
claim or series of claims brought against us, if uninsured or under-insured, could materially harm our business, results 
of  operations  and  financial  condition.  Product-related  claims,  even  if  not  successful,  could  damage  our  reputation, 
cause us to lose existing clients, limit our ability to obtain new clients, divert management’s attention from operations, 
result in significant revenues loss, create potential liabilities for our clients and us and increase insurance and other 
operational costs.

We	may	be	subject	to	claims	for	system	errors	and	warranties. Our software solutions and healthcare devices are 
very complex and may contain design, coding or other errors, especially when first introduced. It is not uncommon for 
HCIT providers to discover errors in software solutions and/or healthcare devices after their introduction. Our software 
solutions  and  healthcare  devices  are  intended  for  use  in  collecting,  storing,  and  displaying  clinical  and  healthcare-
related  information  used  in  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  patients  and  in  related  healthcare  settings  such  as 
admissions, billing, etc. Therefore, users of our software solutions and healthcare devices have a greater sensitivity to 
errors than the market for software products and devices generally. Our client agreements typically provide warranties 
concerning  material  errors  and  other  matters.  Should  a  client’s  Cerner  software  solution  and/or  healthcare  device 
fail to meet these warranties or lead to faulty clinical decisions or injury to patients, it could i) constitute a material 
breach under the client agreement, allowing the client to terminate the agreement and possibly obtain a refund and/
or  damages,  or  might  require  us  to  incur  additional  expense  in  order  to  make  the  software  solution  or  healthcare 
device meet these criteria or ii) subject us to claims or litigation by our clients or clinicians or directly by the patient. 
Our client agreements generally limit our liability arising from such claims but such limits may not be enforceable in 
certain jurisdictions or circumstances. Although we maintain liability insurance coverage in an amount that we believe 
is sufficient for our business, there can be no assurance that such coverage will cover any particular claim that has 
been brought or that may be brought in the future, prove to be adequate or that such coverage will continue to remain 
available on acceptable terms, if at all. A successful material claim or series of claims brought against us, if uninsured 
or under-insured, could materially harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. 

We	 may	 experience	 interruption	 at	 our	 data	 centers	 or	 client	 support	 facilities.  We  perform  data  center  and/or 
hosting services for certain clients, including the storage of critical patient and administrative data. In addition, we 
provide support services to our clients through various client support facilities. We have invested in reliability features 
such  as  multiple  power  feeds,  multiple  backup  generators  and  redundant  telecommunications  lines,  as  well  as 
technical (such as multiple overlapping security applications and countermeasures) and physical security safeguards, 
and  structured  our  operations  to  reduce  the  likelihood  of  disruptions.  Periodic  risk  assessments  are  conducted  to 
ensure additional risks are identified and appropriately mitigated. However, complete failure of all local public power 
and  backup  generators,  impairment  of  all  telecommunications  lines,  a  “concerted  denial  of  service  cyber  attack”, 
damage  (environmental,  accidental,  intentional  or  pandemic)  to  the  buildings,  the  equipment  inside  the  buildings 
housing  our  data centers,  the  client  data  contained  therein  and/or  the  personnel  trained  to  operate  such  facilities 
could cause a disruption in operations and negatively impact clients who depend on us for data center and system 
support  services.  We  offer  our  clients  disaster  recovery  services  for  additional  fees  to  protect  clients  from  isolated 
datacenter failures, leveraging our multiple data center facilities, however only a small percentage of our hosted clients 
choose to contract for these services. Any interruption in operations at our data centers and/or client support facilities 
could damage our reputation, cause us to lose existing clients, hurt our ability to obtain new clients, result in significant 
revenue loss, create potential liabilities for our clients and us and increase insurance and other operating costs.

34

Our	proprietary	technology	may	be	subject	to	claims	for	infringement	or	misappropriation	of	intellectual	property	
rights	of	others,	or	may	be	infringed	or	misappropriated	by	others.	We rely upon a combination of license agreements, 
confidentiality  policies  and  procedures,  employee  nondisclosure  agreements,  confidentiality  agreements  with  third 
parties and technical security measures to maintain the confidentiality, exclusivity and trade secrecy of our proprietary 
information. We also rely on trademark and copyright laws to protect our intellectual property rights in the United States 
and abroad. We continue to develop our patent portfolio of United States and global patents, but these patents do not 
provide comprehensive protection for the wide range of solutions and services offered by us. Despite our protective 
measures and intellectual property rights, we may not be able to adequately protect against theft, copying, reverse-
engineering, misappropriation, infringement or unauthorized use or disclosure of our intellectual property.

In addition, we are routinely involved in intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claims and we expect 
this activity to continue or even increase as the number of competitors, patents and patent enforcement organizations 
in the HIT market increases, the functionality of our software solutions and services expands, the use of open-source 
software increases and we enter new geographies and new markets such as healthcare device innovation, healthcare 
transactions  and  life  sciences.  These  claims,  even  if  not  meritorious,  are  expensive  to  defend  and  are  oftentimes 
incapable of prompt resolution. If we become liable to third parties for infringing or misappropriating their intellectual 
property  rights,  we  could  be  required  to  pay  a  substantial  damage  award,  develop  alternative  technology,  obtain  a 
license and/or cease using, selling, offering for sale, licensing, importing, implementing and supporting the solutions, 
devices and services that violate the intellectual property rights.

We	are	subject	to	risks	associated	with	our	non-U.S.	operations. We market, sell and service our solutions, devices 
and services globally. We have established offices around the world, including in: the Americas, Europe, the Middle 
East and the Asia Pacific region. We will continue to expand our non-U.S. operations and enter new global markets. 
This expansion will require significant management attention and financial resources to develop successful direct and 
indirect non-U.S. sales and support channels. Our business is generally transacted in the local functional currency. In 
some countries, our success will depend in part on our ability to form relationships with local partners. There is a risk 
that we may sometimes choose the wrong partner. For these reasons, we may not be able to maintain or increase non-
U.S. market demand for our solutions, devices and services.

Non-U.S. operations are subject to inherent risks, and our future results could be adversely affected by a variety of 
uncontrollable and changing factors. These include, but are not limited to:

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

g	

	Greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable and longer collection periods
	Difficulties and costs of staffing and managing non-U.S. operations
	The impact of global economic conditions
	Unfavorable or changing foreign currency exchange rates
	Legal  compliance  costs  and/or  business  risks  associated  with  our  global  operations  where:  i)  local  laws 
and customs differ from those in the United States or ii) risk is heightened with respect to laws prohibiting 
improper payments and bribery, including without limitation the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar 
regulations in foreign jurisdictions
	Certification, licensing or regulatory requirements
	Unexpected changes in regulatory requirements
	Changes to or reduced protection of intellectual property rights in some countries
	Inability to obtain necessary financing on reasonable terms to adequately support non-U.S. operations and 
expansion
	Potentially  adverse  tax  consequences  and  difficulties  associated  with  repatriating  cash  generated  or  held 
abroad in a tax-efficient manner
	Different or additional functionality requirements or preferences
	Trade protection measures
	Export control regulations
	Service provider and government spending patterns
	Natural disasters, war or terrorist acts
	Labor disruptions that may occur in a country
	Poor selection of a partner in a country
	Political conditions which may impact sales or threaten the safety of associates or our continued presence in 
these countries

35

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
Our	 failure	 to	 effectively	 hedge	 exposure	 to	 fluctuations	 in	 foreign	 currency	 exchange	 rates	 could	 unfavorably	
affect	 our	 performance.  We  currently  utilize  a  non-derivative  instrument  to  hedge  our  exposure  to  fluctuations  in 
certain foreign currency exchange rates. This instrument may involve elements of market risk in excess of the amounts 
recognized in the Consolidated Financial Statements. For additional information about risk on financial instruments, 
see Item 7A “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk”. Further, our financial results from non-U.S. 
operations may be negatively affected if we fail to execute or improperly hedge our exposure to currency fluctuations.

We	are	subject	to	tax	legislation	in	several	countries;	tax	legislation	initiatives	or	challenges	to	our	tax	positions	
could	adversely	affect	our	results	of	operations	and	financial	condition. We are a large corporation with operations 
in more than twenty countries. As such, we are, or in the future could be, subject to tax laws and regulations of the 
United  States  federal,  state  and  local  governments  and  of  other  country  jurisdictions.  From  time  to  time,  various 
legislative  initiatives  may  be  proposed  that  could  adversely  affect  our  tax  positions  and/or  our  tax  liabilities.  There 
can be no assurance that our effective tax rate or tax payments will not be adversely affected by these initiatives. In 
addition,  United  States  federal,  state  and  local,  as  well  as  other  countries’  tax  laws  and  regulations,  are  extremely 
complex and subject to varying interpretations. There can be no assurance that our tax positions will not be challenged 
by relevant tax authorities or that we would be successful in any such challenge, which could result in double taxation, 
penalties and interest payments.

Our	success	depends	upon	the	recruitment	and	retention	of	key	personnel. To remain competitive in our industries, 
we must attract, motivate and retain highly skilled managerial, sales, marketing, consulting and technical personnel, 
including executives, consultants, programmers and systems architects skilled in the HIT, healthcare devices, healthcare 
transactions and life sciences industries and the technical environments in which our solutions, devices and services 
are  needed.  Competition  for  such  personnel  in  our  industries  is  intense  in  both  the  United  States  and  abroad.  Our 
failure to attract additional qualified personnel to meet our non-U.S. personnel needs could have a material adverse 
effect  on  our  prospects  for  long-term  growth.  Our  success  is  dependent  to  a  significant  degree  on  the  continued 
contributions of key management, sales, marketing, consulting and technical personnel. The unexpected loss of key 
personnel could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations, and could potentially inhibit 
development and delivery of our solutions, devices and services and market share advances. 

We	depend	on	third	party	suppliers	and	our	revenue	and	gross	margin	could	suffer	if	we	fail	to	manage	suppliers	
properly. We license or purchase intellectual property and technology (such as software, hardware and content) from 
third parties, including some competitors, and incorporate such third party software, hardware and/or content into 
or  sell  or  license  it  in  conjunction  with  our  solutions,  devices  and  services.  We  depend  on  some  of  the  third  party 
software, hardware and/or content in the operation and delivery of our solutions, devices and services. For instance, 
we  currently  depend  on  Microsoft  and  IBM  Websphere  technologies  for  portions  of  the  operational  abilities  of  our 
Millennium solutions. Our remote hosting business also relies on a single or a limited number of suppliers for certain 
functions of this business, such as Oracle database technologies, CITRIX technologies and CISCO network technologies, 
and we rely on Hewlett Packard and IBM for our hardware technology platforms.

Most  of  the  third  party  software  licenses  we  have  expire  within  one  to  five  years,  can  be  renewed  only  by  mutual 
consent and may be terminated if we breach the terms of the license and fail to cure the breach within a specified 
period of time. Most of these third party software licenses are non-exclusive; therefore, our competitors may obtain 
the right to use any of the technology covered by these licenses and use the technology to compete directly with us. 

If any of the third party suppliers were to change product offerings, cease actively supporting the technologies, fail to 
update and enhance the technologies to keep pace with changing industry standards, encounter technical difficulties 
in the continuing development of these technologies, significantly increase prices or terminate our licenses or supply 
contracts,  we  would  need  to  seek  alternative  suppliers  and  incur  additional  internal  or  external  development  costs 
to ensure continued performance of our solutions, devices and services. Such alternatives may not be available on 
attractive terms, or may not be as widely accepted or as effective as the intellectual property or technology provided 
by  our  existing  suppliers.  If  the  cost  of  licensing,  purchasing  or  maintaining  the  third  party  intellectual  property  or 
technology  significantly  increases,  our  gross  margin  levels  could  significantly  decrease.  In  addition,  interruption  in 
functionality of our solutions, devices and services as a result of changes in third party suppliers could adversely affect 
future sales of solutions, devices and services, and negatively affect our revenue and gross margins.

36

We	intend	to	continue	strategic	business	acquisitions,	which	are	subject	to	inherent	risks. In order to expand our 
solutions, device offerings and services and grow our market and client base, we may continue to seek and complete 
strategic business acquisitions that we believe are complementary to our business. Acquisitions have inherent risks 
which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results or prospects, including, 
but  not  limited  to:  1)  failure  to  successfully  integrate  the  business  and  financial  operations,  services,  intellectual 
property,  solutions  or  personnel  of  an  acquired  business  and  to  maintain  uniform  standard  controls,  policies  and 
procedures; 2) diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; 3) entry into markets in which we 
have little or no direct prior experience; 4) failure to achieve projected synergies and performance targets; 5) loss of 
clients or key personnel; 6) incurrence of debt and/or assumption of known and unknown liabilities; 7) write-off of 
software development costs, goodwill, client lists and amortization of expenses related to intangible assets; 8) dilutive 
issuances of equity securities; and, 9) accounting deficiencies that could arise in connection with, or as a result of, the 
acquisition of an acquired company, including issues related to internal control over financial reporting and the time 
and cost associated with remedying such deficiencies. If we fail to successfully integrate acquired businesses or fail to 
implement our business strategies with respect to these acquisitions, we may not be able to achieve projected results 
or support the amount of consideration paid for such acquired businesses.

We	 could	 suffer	 losses	 due	 to	 asset	 impairment	 charges.  We  test  our  goodwill  for  impairment  during  the  second 
quarter every year, and on an interim date should events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of 
goodwill may not be recoverable in accordance with provisions of ASC 350, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other. Declines 
in business performance or other factors could cause the fair value of a reporting unit to be revised downward and 
could result in a non-cash impairment charge. This could materially affect our reported net earnings.

The	ongoing	uncertainty	in	global	economic	conditions	could	negatively	affect	our	business,	results	of	operations	
and	financial	condition. Although in recent months, certain indices and economic data have begun to show signs of 
stabilization in the United States and certain global markets, there can be no assurance that these improvements will 
be broad-based or sustainable, nor is it clear how, if at all, they will affect the markets relevant to us. As a result, our 
operating results may be impacted by the health of the global economy. Continued adverse economic conditions may 
lead to slowdowns or declines in client spending which could adversely affect our business and financial performance. 
Our business and financial performance, including new business bookings and collection of our accounts receivable, 
may  be  adversely  affected  by  current  and  future  economic  conditions  (including  a  reduction  in  the  availability  of 
credit, higher energy costs, rising interest rates, financial market volatility and lower than expected economic growth) 
that cause a slowdown or decline in client spending. Reduced purchases by our clients or changes in payment terms 
could adversely affect our revenue growth and cause a decrease in our cash flow from operations. Bankruptcies or 
similar events affecting clients may cause us to incur bad debt expense at levels higher than historically experienced. 
Further, an ongoing global financial crisis may also limit our ability to access the capital markets at a time when we 
would  like,  or  need,  to  raise  capital,  which  could  have  an  impact  on  our  ability  to  react  to  changing  economic  and 
business conditions. Accordingly, if the global financial crisis and current economic downturn continues or worsens, 
our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Risks Related to the Healthcare Information Technology, Healthcare Device and Healthcare Transaction Industry

The	 healthcare	 industry	 is	 subject	 to	 changing	 political,	 economic	 and	 regulatory	 influences.  For  example,  the 
Health  Insurance  Portability  and  Accountability  Act  of  1996  (as  modified  by  The  Health  Information  Technology  for 
Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) (HIPAA) 
continues to have a direct impact on the healthcare industry by requiring national provider identifiers and standardized 
transactions/code sets and necessary security and privacy measures in order to ensure the appropriate level of privacy 
of protected health information. These regulatory factors affect the purchasing practices and operation of healthcare 
organizations.

Many  healthcare  providers  are  consolidating  to  create  integrated  healthcare  delivery  systems  with  greater  market 
power. These providers may try to use their market power to negotiate price reductions for our solutions and services. 
As the healthcare industry consolidates, our client base could be eroded, competition for clients could become more 
intense and the importance of landing new client relationships becomes greater.

37

In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law. This comprehensive healthcare reform legislation 
included provisions to control healthcare costs, improve healthcare quality, and expand access to affordable health 
insurance.  This  healthcare  reform  legislation  could  include  changes  in  Medicare  and  Medicaid  payment  policies 
and  other  healthcare  delivery  administrative  reforms  that  could  potentially  negatively  impact  our  business  and  the 
business of our clients. Because the administrative rules implementing healthcare reform under the legislation have 
not yet been finalized, the impact of the healthcare reform legislation on our business is unknown, but there can be no 
assurances that healthcare reform legislation will not adversely impact either our operational results or the manner 
in  which  we  operate  our  business.  Healthcare  industry  participants  may  respond  by  reducing  their  investments  or 
postponing investment decisions, including investments in our solutions and services.

The	healthcare	industry	is	highly	regulated	at	the	local,	state	and	federal	level. We are subject to a significant and 
wide-ranging  number  of  regulations  both  within  the  United  States  and  elsewhere,  such  as  regulations  in  the  areas 
of healthcare fraud, e-prescribing, claims processing and transmission, medical devices, the security and privacy of 
patient data and interoperability standards.

Healthcare Fraud. Federal and state governments continue to enhance regulation of and increase their scrutiny over 
practices  involving  healthcare  fraud  affecting  healthcare  providers  whose  services  are  reimbursed  by  Medicare, 
Medicaid and other government healthcare programs. Our healthcare provider clients are subject to laws and regulations 
on fraud and abuse which, among other things, prohibit the direct or indirect payment or receipt of any remuneration 
for patient referrals, or arranging for or recommending referrals or other business paid for in whole or in part by these 
federal or state healthcare programs. Federal enforcement personnel have substantial funding, powers and remedies 
to pursue suspected or perceived fraud and abuse. The effect of this government regulation on our clients is difficult 
to predict. Many of the regulations applicable to our clients and that may be applicable to us, including those relating 
to marketing incentives offered in connection with medical device sales, are vague or indefinite and have not been 
interpreted by the courts. They may be interpreted or applied by a prosecutorial, regulatory or judicial authority in a 
manner that could broaden their applicability to us or require our clients to make changes in their operations or the way 
in which they deal with us. If such laws and regulations are determined to be applicable to us and if we fail to comply 
with any applicable laws and regulations, we could be subject to civil and criminal penalties, sanctions or other liability, 
including exclusion from government health programs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, 
results of operations and financial condition. 

E-Prescribing. The use of our solutions by physicians for electronic prescribing, electronic routing of prescriptions to 
pharmacies and dispensing is governed by federal and state laws. States have differing prescription format requirements, 
which we have programmed into our solutions. In addition, in November 2005, the Department of Health and Human 
Services announced regulations by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) related to “E-Prescribing and 
the Prescription Drug Program” (E-Prescribing Regulations). These E-Prescribing Regulations were mandated by the 
Medicare  Prescription  Drug,  Improvement,  and  Modernization  Act  of  2003.  The  E-Prescribing  Regulations  set  forth 
standards for the transmission of electronic prescriptions. These standards are detailed and significant, and cover not 
only transactions between prescribers and dispensers for prescriptions but also electronic eligibility, benefits inquiries, 
drug formulary and benefit coverage information. Our efforts to provide solutions that enable our clients to comply with 
these regulations could be time-consuming and expensive. 

Claims Transmissions. Our solutions are capable of electronically transmitting claims for services and items rendered 
by a physician to many patients’ payers for approval and reimbursement, which claims are governed by federal and state 
laws. Federal law provides civil liability to any person that knowingly submits a claim to a payer, including Medicare, 
Medicaid  and  private  health  plans,  seeking  payment  for  any  services  or  items  that  have  not  been  provided  to  the 
patient. Federal law may also impose criminal penalties for intentionally submitting such false claims. We have policies 
and  procedures  in  place  that  we  believe  result  in  the  accurate  and  complete  transmission  of  claims,  provided  that 
the information given to us by our clients is also accurate and complete. The HIPAA security, privacy and transaction 
standards, as discussed below, also have a potentially significant effect on our claims transmission services, since 
those services must be structured and provided in a way that supports our clients’ HIPAA compliance obligations. In 
connection with these laws, we may be subjected to federal or state government investigations and possible penalties 
may be imposed upon us, false claims actions may have to be defended, private payers may file claims against us and 
we may be excluded from Medicare, Medicaid or other government-funded healthcare programs. Any investigation or 
proceeding related to these laws may have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

38

Regulation of Medical Devices. The United States Food and Drug Administration (the FDA) has determined that certain 
of our solutions are medical devices that are actively regulated under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (Act) 
and amendments to the Act. Other countries have similar regulations in place related to medical devices, that now or 
may in the future apply to certain of our solutions. If other of our solutions are deemed to be actively regulated medical 
devices by the FDA or similar regulatory agencies in countries where we do business, we could be subject to extensive 
requirements governing pre- and post-marketing requirements including pre-market notification clearance. Complying 
with these medical device regulations on a global perspective is time consuming and expensive, and could be subject 
to unanticipated and significant delays. Further, it is possible that these regulatory agencies may become more active 
in regulating software that is used in healthcare. If we are unable to obtain the required regulatory approvals for any 
such solutions or medical devices, our short to long term business plans for these solutions and/or medical devices 
could be delayed or canceled.

There  have  been  ten  FDA  inspections  at  various  Cerner  sites  since  1998.  Inspections  conducted  at  our  world 
headquarters in 1999 and 2010, and our prior Houston, Texas facility in 2002, each resulted in the issuance of an 
FDA Form 483 observation to which we responded promptly. The FDA has taken no further action with respect to the 
Form 483 observations that were issued in 1999, 2002 and 2010. The remaining seven FDA inspections, including 
inspections at our world headquarters in 2006 and 2007, resulted in no issuance of a Form 483. We remain subject to 
periodic FDA inspections and we could be required to undertake additional actions to comply with the Act and any other 
applicable regulatory requirements. Our failure to comply with the Act and any other applicable regulatory requirements 
could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue to manufacture and distribute our solutions. The FDA 
has many enforcement tools including recalls, product corrections, seizures, injunctions, refusal to grant pre-market 
clearance  of  products,  civil  fines  and/or  criminal  prosecutions.  Any  of  the  foregoing  could  have  a  material  adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Security and Privacy of Patient Information. Federal, state and local laws regulate the confidentiality of patient records 
and  the  circumstances  under  which  those  records  may  be  released.  These  regulations  govern  both  the  disclosure 
and use of confidential patient medical record information and require the users of such information to implement 
specified security measures. United States regulations currently in place governing electronic health data transmissions 
continue to evolve and are often unclear and difficult to apply. Similarly, laws in non-U.S. jurisdictions may have similar 
or even stricter requirements related to the treatment of patient information.

In  the  United  States,  HIPAA  regulations  require  national  standards  for  some  types  of  electronic  health  information 
transactions  and  the  data  elements  used  in  those  transactions,  security  standards  to  ensure  the  integrity  and 
confidentiality of health information and standards to protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information. 
Covered entities under HIPAA, which include healthcare organizations such as our clients, our employer clinic business 
model  and  our  claims  transmission  services,  are  required  to  comply  with  the  privacy  standards,  the  transaction 
regulations and the security regulations. Moreover, the recently enacted HITECH provisions of ARRA, and associated 
regulatory  requirements,  extend  many  of  the  HIPAA  obligations,  formerly  imposed  only  upon  covered  entities,  to 
business associates as well. As a business associate of our clients who are covered entities, we were in most instances 
already contractually required to ensure compliance with the HIPAA regulations as they pertain to handling of covered 
client data. However, the extension of these HIPAA obligations to business associates by law has created additional 
liability risks related to the privacy and security of individually identifiable health information. 

Evolving  HIPAA  and  HITECH-related  laws  or  regulations  and  regulations  in  non-U.S.  jurisdictions  could  restrict  the 
ability  of  our  clients  to  obtain,  use  or  disseminate  patient  information.  This  could  adversely  affect  demand  for  our 
solutions if they are not re-designed in a timely manner in order to meet the requirements of any new interpretations or 
regulations that seek to protect the privacy and security of patient data or enable our clients to execute new or modified 
healthcare  transactions.  We  may  need  to  expend  additional  capital,  software  development  and  other  resources  to 
modify our solutions and devices to address these evolving data security and privacy issues. Furthermore, our failure 
to maintain confidentiality of sensitive personal information in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements 
could damage our reputation and expose us to breach of contract claims (although we contractually limit liability, when 
possible and where permitted), fines and penalties.

39

Interoperability Standards. Our clients are concerned with and often require that our software solutions and healthcare 
devices  be  interoperable  with  other  third  party  HIT  suppliers.  Market  forces  or  governmental/regulatory  authorities 
could create software interoperability standards that would apply to our solutions, and if our software solutions and/
or  healthcare  devices  are  not  consistent  with  those  standards,  we  could  be  forced  to  incur  substantial  additional 
development  costs  to  conform.  The  Certification  Commission  for  Healthcare  Information  Technology  (CCHIT)  has 
developed a comprehensive set of criteria for the functionality, interoperability and security of various software modules 
in  the  HIT  industry.  CCHIT,  however,  continues  to  modify  and  refine  those  standards.  Achieving  CCHIT  certification 
is  becoming  a  competitive  requirement,  resulting  in  increased  software  development  and  administrative  expense 
to  conform  to  these  requirements.  Additionally,  various  federal,  state  and  non-U.S.  government  agencies  are  also 
developing  standards  that  could  become  mandatory  for  systems  purchased  by  these  agencies.  For  example,  ARRA 
requires “meaningful use of certified electronic health record technology” by healthcare providers in order to receive 
incentive payments. Regulations have been issued that identify initial standards and implementation specifications 
and  establish  the  certification  standards  for  qualifying  electronic  health  record  technology.  Nevertheless,  these 
standards  and  specifications  are  subject  to  interpretation  by  the  entities  designated  to  certify  such  technology. 
While a combination of our solutions have been certified as meeting the initial standards for certified health record 
technology, the regulatory standards to achieve certification will continue to evolve over time. We may incur increased 
development costs and delays in delivering solutions if we need to upgrade our software and healthcare devices to 
be in compliance with these varying and evolving standards. In addition, delays in interpreting these standards may 
result in postponement or cancellation of our clients’ decisions to purchase our solutions. If our software solutions and 
healthcare devices are not consistent with these evolving standards, our market position and sales could be impaired 
and we may have to invest significantly in changes to our software solutions and healthcare devices, although we do 
not expect such costs to be significant in relation to the overall development costs for our solutions. 

We	operate	in	intensely	competitive	and	dynamic	industries,	and	our	ability	to	successfully	compete	and	continue	
to	grow	our	business	depends	on	our	ability	to	respond	quickly	to	market	changes	and	changing	technologies	and	
to	bring	competitive	new	solutions,	devices,	features	and	services	to	market	in	a	timely	fashion. The market for 
healthcare information systems, healthcare devices and services to the healthcare industry is intensely competitive, 
dynamically  evolving  and  subject  to  rapid  technological  and  innovative  changes.  Development  of  new  proprietary 
technology or services is complex, entails significant time and expense and may not be successful. We cannot guarantee 
that we will be able to introduce new solutions, devices or services on schedule, or at all, nor can we guarantee that 
errors will not be found in our new solution releases, devices or services before or after commercial release, which 
could result in solution, device or service delivery redevelopment costs and loss of, or delay in, market acceptance. 

Certain of our competitors have greater financial, technical, product development, marketing and other resources than 
us and some of our competitors offer software solutions that we do not offer. Our principal existing competitors are set 
forth above under Part I, Item 1 Competition. 

In addition, we expect that major software information systems companies, large information technology consulting 
service providers and system integrators, start-up companies and others specializing in the healthcare industry may 
offer competitive software solutions, devices or services. We face strong competitors and often face downward price 
pressure,  which  could  adversely  affect  our  results  of  operations  or  liquidity.  Additionally,  the  pace  of  change  in  the 
healthcare information systems market is rapid and there are frequent new software solution introductions, software 
solution enhancements, device introductions, device enhancements and evolving industry standards and requirements. 
There are a limited number of hospitals and other healthcare providers in the United States HIT market and in recent 
years, the healthcare industry has been subject to increasing consolidation. As the industry consolidates, costs fall, 
technology improves, and market factors continue to compel investment by healthcare organizations in solutions and 
services like ours, market saturation in the United States may change the competitive landscape in favor of larger, more 
diversified competitors with greater scale. If we are unable to recognize these changes in a timely manner, or we are 
too inflexible to rapidly adjust our business models, growth ambitions and financial results could be affected materially. 

Risks Related to Our Stock

Our	quarterly	operating	results	may	vary,	which	could	adversely	affect	our	stock	price. Our quarterly operating results 
have varied in the past and may continue to vary in future periods, including: variations from guidance, expectations 
or  historical  results  or  trends.  Quarterly  operating  results  may  vary  for  a  number  of  reasons  including  demand  for 

40

our solutions, devices and services, the financial condition of our current and potential clients, our long sales cycle, 
potentially long installation and implementation cycles for larger, more complex and higher-priced systems, accounting 
policy  changes  and  other  factors  described  in  this  section  and  elsewhere  in  this  report.  As  a  result  of  healthcare 
industry trends and the market for our Cerner Millennium solutions, a large percentage of our revenues are generated 
by the sale and installation of larger, more complex and higher-priced systems. The sales process for these systems 
is lengthy and involves a significant technical evaluation and commitment of capital and other resources by the client. 
Sales  may  be  subject  to  delays  due  to  changes  in  clients’  internal  budgets,  procedures  for  approving  large  capital 
expenditures, competing needs for other capital expenditures, additions or amendments to governing federal, state 
or local regulations, availability of personnel resources and by actions taken by competitors. Delays in the expected 
sale, installation or implementation of these large systems may have a significant impact on our anticipated quarterly 
revenues and consequently our earnings, since a significant percentage of our expenses are relatively fixed. 

Revenue recognized in any quarter may depend upon our and our clients’ abilities to meet project milestones. Delays 
in meeting these milestone conditions or modification of the project plan could result in a shift of revenue recognition 
from one quarter to another and could have a material adverse effect on results of operations for a particular quarter. 

Our revenues from system sales historically have been lower in the first quarter of the year and greater in the fourth 
quarter of the year, primarily as a result of clients’ year-end efforts to make all final capital expenditures for the then-
current year.

Our	 sales	 forecasts	 may	 vary	 from	 actual	 sales	 in	 a	 particular	 quarter.  We  use  a  “pipeline”  system,  a  common 
industry practice, to forecast sales and trends in our business. Our sales associates monitor the status of all sales 
opportunities,  such  as  the  date  when  they  estimate  that  a  client  will  make  a  purchase  decision  and  the  potential 
dollar  amount  of  the  sale.  These  estimates  are  aggregated  periodically  to  generate  a  sales  pipeline.  We  compare 
this pipeline at various points in time to evaluate trends in our business. This analysis provides guidance in business 
planning and forecasting, but these pipeline estimates are by their nature speculative. Our pipeline estimates are not 
necessarily reliable predictors of revenues in a particular quarter or over a longer period of time, partially because of 
changes in the pipeline and in conversion rates of the pipeline into contracts that can be very difficult to estimate. A 
negative variation in the expected conversion rate or timing of the pipeline into contracts, or in the pipeline itself, could 
cause our plan or forecast to be inaccurate and thereby adversely affect business results. For example, a slowdown in 
information technology spending, adverse economic conditions, new federal, state or local regulations directly related 
to  our  industry  or  a  variety  of  other  factors  can  cause  purchasing  decisions  to  be  delayed,  reduced  in  amount  or 
cancelled, which would reduce the overall pipeline conversion rate in a particular period of time. Because a substantial 
portion of our contracts are completed in the latter part of a quarter, we may not be able to adjust our cost structure 
quickly enough in response to a revenue shortfall resulting from a decrease in our pipeline conversion rate in any given 
fiscal quarter. 

The	trading	price	of	our	common	stock	may	be	volatile. The market for our common stock may experience significant 
price and volume fluctuations in response to a number of factors including actual or anticipated variations in operating 
results, rumors about our performance or solutions, devices and services, changes in expectations of future financial 
performance or estimates of securities analysts, governmental regulatory action, healthcare reform measures, client 
relationship developments, changes occurring in the securities markets in general and other factors, many of which 
are beyond our control. As a matter of policy, we do not generally comment on our stock price or rumors.

Furthermore, the stock market in general, and the markets for software, healthcare devices, other healthcare solutions 
and services and information technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme volatility that often has 
been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations 
may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock, regardless of actual operating performance.

Our	 Directors	 have	 authority	 to	 issue	 preferred	 stock	 and	 our	 corporate	 governance	 documents	 contain	 anti-
takeover	provisions. Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to 
determine the preferences, rights and privileges of those shares without any further vote or action by the shareholders. 
The rights of the holders of common stock may be harmed by rights granted to the holders of any preferred stock that 
may be issued in the future. 

41

In addition, some provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws could make it more difficult for a potential 
acquirer to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock. These include provisions that provide for a classified 
board of directors, prohibit shareholders from taking action by written consent and restrict the ability of shareholders 
to  call  special  meetings.  We  are  also  subject  to  provisions  of  Delaware  law  that  prohibit  us  from  engaging  in  any 
business combination with any interested shareholder for a period of three years from the date the person became 
an interested shareholder, unless certain conditions are met, which could have the effect of delaying or preventing a 
change of control.

Factors that May Affect Future Results of Operations, Financial Condition or Business 

Statements made in this report, the Annual Report to Shareholders of which this report is made a part, other reports 
and proxy statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), communications to shareholders, press 
releases and oral statements made by representatives of the Company that are not historical in nature, or that state 
the Company’s or management’s intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions of the future, may constitute 
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended 
(the  Exchange  Act).  Forward-looking  statements  can  often  be  identified  by  the  use  of  forward-looking  terminology, 
such  as  “could,”  “should,”  “will,”  “intended,”  “continue,”  “believe,”  “may,”  “expect,”  “hope,”  “anticipate,”  “goal,” 
“forecast,” “plan,” “guidance” or “estimate” or the negative of these words, variations thereof or similar expressions. 
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties and 
assumptions. It is important to note that any such performance and actual results, financial condition or business, 
could differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute 
to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this Item 1A. Risk Factors and elsewhere herein 
or in other reports filed with the SEC. Other unforeseen factors not identified herein could also have such an effect. We 
undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence 
of unanticipated events or changes in future operating results, financial condition or business over time.

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2.    Properties

Our properties consist mainly of owned and leased office and data center facilities. 

Our  United  States  corporate  world  headquarters  operations  are  located  in  a  Company-owned  office  park  (the 
Headquarters  Campus)  in  North  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  The  Headquarters  Campus  and  two  other  nearby  locations, 
collectively  contain  approximately  1.43  million  gross  square  feet  of  useable  space  and  land  capable  of  housing 
approximately 300,000 square feet of future building development. The Headquarters Campus primarily houses office 
space, but also includes space for other business needs, such as our Healthe Clinic and our Headquarters Campus 
data center.

Other company owned office space, known as the Innovation Campus, houses associates from our intellectual property 
organizations and consists of 790,000 gross square feet of useable space located in Kansas City, Missouri.

Our  Cerner-operated  data  center  facilities,  which  are  used  to  provide  remote  hosting,  disaster  recovery  and  other 
services to our clients, are located at the Headquarters Campus and a leased facility in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.

As of the end of 2010, we leased additional office space in Beverly Hills and Garden Grove, California; Denver, Colorado; 
Jacksonville,  Florida;  Lenexa,  Kansas;  Waltham,  Massachusetts;  Minneapolis  and  Rochester,  Minnesota;  Columbia, 
Missouri; N. Kansas City, Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri; Blue Bell, Pennsylvania; and Vienna, Virginia. Globally, we 
also  leased  office  space  in:  Brisbane,  Sydney  and  Melbourne,  Australia;  London-Ontario,  Canada;  Santiago,  Chile; 
London, England; Paris, France; Herzogenrath and Idstein, Germany; Bangalore, India; Dublin, Ireland; Kuala Lumpur, 
Malaysia; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Madrid, Spain; and, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

42

Item 3.    Legal Proceedings

We have no material pending litigation. 

Item 4.    Removed and Reserved

43

PART II 

Item 5.   

 Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of 
Equity Securities 

Our common stock trades on The NASDAQ Global Select MarketSM under the symbol CERN. The following table sets forth 
the high, low and last sales prices for the fiscal quarters of 2010 and 2009 as reported by The Nasdaq Stock Market®.

2010

Low

High

Last

High

2009

Low

Last

First Quarter

 $ 90.72 

 $ 75.66 

 $ 85.73 

 $ 46.40 

 $ 33.72 

 $ 43.29 

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

 91.58 

 85.03

 96.16 

 75.00 

 72.85 

 84.72 

 76.10 

 85.03 

 94.74 

 63.82 

 75.17

 85.51 

 41.88 

 56.80 

 73.53 

 60.05 

 72.50 

 82.44 

At February 10, 2011, there were approximately 1,043 owners of record. To date, we have paid no cash dividends and 
we do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. We believe it is in the shareholders’ best interest for 
us to reinvest funds in the operation of the business.

In March 2008, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program for $45 million of our Common Stock. 
There were no shares repurchased by us during the quarter or the year ended January 1, 2011. 

44

Item 6.    Selected Financial Data

(In thousands, except per share data)

Statement of Earnings Data:

Revenues

Operating earnings

Earnings before income taxes 

Net earnings

Earnings per share: 

Basic

Diluted

Weighted average shares outstanding: 

Basic

Diluted

Balance Sheet Data:

Working capital

Total assets

2010

(1)

2009

(1)

2008

(1)(2)

2007

(1)(3)(4)(5)

2006

(1)(6)

  $ 1,850,222

  $ 1,671,864

  $ 1,676,028 

  $ 1,519,877 

  $ 1,378,038 

 359,333 

 362,212

 237,272 

 292,006 

 292,681 

 193,465 

 278,885 

 281,431 

 188,658 

 204,083 

 203,967 

 127,125 

 166,167 

 167,544 

 109,891 

2.88

2.78

2.39

2.31

2.34

2.26

1.60

1.53

1.41

1.34

82,458

85,424

 80,981 

 83,882 

 80,549 

 83,435 

 79,395 

 83,218 

 77,691 

 81,723 

  $  840,129 

  $  788,232 

  $  517,650 

  $  530,441 

  $  444,656 

 2,422,790 

 2,148,567 

 1,880,988 

 1,689,956 

 1,496,433 

Long-term debt, excl. current installments

 67,923 

 95,506 

 111,370 

 177,606 

Cerner Corporation stockholders’ equity

 1,905,297 

 1,580,678 

 1,311,009 

 1,132,428 

 187,391 

 922,294 

(1) 

 Includes share-based compensation expense recognized. The impact of including this expense is as follows: 

(In thousands except share data)

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Total stock-based compensation expense

  $ 

24,903

  $ 

16,842

  $ 

15,144

  $ 

16,189

  $ 

19,021

Amount of related income tax benefit

(9,329)

(6,274)

(5,641)

(6,030)

(7,275)

Net impact on earnings

  $ 

15,574

  $ 

10,568

  $ 

9,503

  $ 

10,159

  $ 

11,746

Decrease to diluted earnings per share

  $ 

0.18

  $ 

0.12

  $ 

0.11

  $ 

0.12

  $ 

0.14

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

 Includes expense related to a settlement with a third party provider of software related to the use of the third party’s software in our remote 
hosting business. The settlement included compensation for the use of the software for periods prior to 2008 as well as compensation 
for licenses of the software for future use for existing and additional clients through January 2009. Of the total settlement amount, we 
determined that $5.0 million should have been recorded in prior periods, primarily 2005 through 2007. Based on this valuation, 2008 
results include an increase of $8.0 million to sales and client service expense, a decrease of $5.0 million to net earnings, and a decrease 
of $0.06 to diluted earnings per share that are attributable to prior periods.

 Includes a research and development write-off related to the RxStation® medication dispensing devices. In connection with production 
and delivery of the RxStation medication dispensing devices, we reviewed the accounting treatment for the RxStation line of devices and 
determined that $8.6 million of research and development activities for the RxStation medication dispensing devices that should have 
been expensed was incorrectly capitalized. The impact of this charge is a $5.4 million decrease, net of $3.2 million tax benefit, in net 
earnings and a decrease to diluted earnings per share of $0.06 in the year ended December 29, 2007. $2.1 million of this $5.4 million 
after tax amount recorded in 2007 related to periods prior to 2007. 

 Includes a $3.1 million tax benefit recorded in 2007 related to periods prior to 2007. The tax benefit relates to the over-expensing of state 
income taxes, which resulted in an increase to diluted earnings per share of $0.04 in the year ended December 29, 2007. 

 Includes an adjustment to correct the amounts previously reported for the second quarter of 2007 for a previously disclosed out-of-period 
tax item relating to foreign net operating losses. The effect of this adjustment increases tax expense for the year ended December 29, 
2007, by $4.2 million and increases January 1, 2005 retained earnings (Shareholders’ Equity) by the same amount.

(6) 

 Includes a tax benefit of $2.0 million for adjustments relating to prior periods. This results in an increase to diluted earnings per share of 
$0.02.

45

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Item 7.    Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) is intended to help the reader understand our results of 
operations and financial condition. This MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, 
our financial statements and the accompanying notes to the financial statements (Notes). 

Our  fiscal  year  ends  on  the  Saturday  closest  to  December  31.  Fiscal  year  2010  consisted  of  52  weeks  and  ended 
on January 1, 2011; fiscal year 2009 consisted of 52 weeks and ended on January 2, 2010; and fiscal year 2008 
consisted  of  53  weeks  and  ended  on  January  3,  2009.  All  references  to  years  in  this  MD&A  represent  fiscal  years 
unless otherwise noted. 

Management	Overview
Our  revenues  are  primarily  derived  by  selling,  implementing  and  supporting  software  solutions,  clinical  content, 
hardware,  healthcare  devices  and  services  that  give  healthcare  providers  secure  access  to  clinical,  administrative 
and financial data in real time, allowing them to improve the quality, safety and efficiency in the delivery of healthcare. 
We  implement  the  healthcare  solutions  as  stand-alone,  combined  or  enterprise-wide  systems.  Cerner  Millennium® 
software solutions can be managed by our clients or in our data centers via a managed services model. 

Our  fundamental  strategy  centers  on  creating  organic  growth  by  investing  in  research  and  development  (R&D)  to 
create solutions and services for the healthcare industry. This strategy has driven strong growth over the long-term, as 
reflected in five- and ten-year compound annual revenue growth rates of 10% or more. This growth has also created an 
important strategic footprint in healthcare, with Cerner® solutions licensed by approximately 9,000 facilities around 
the world, including more than 2,600 hospitals; 3,500 physician practices covering more than 30,000 physicians; 500 
ambulatory facilities, such as laboratories, ambulatory centers, cardiac facilities, radiology clinics and surgery centers; 
800 home health facilities; and 1,600 retail pharmacies. Selling additional solutions back into this client base is an 
important element of our future revenue growth. We are also focused on driving growth through market share expansion 
by strategically aligning with healthcare providers who have not yet selected a supplier and by displacing competitors in 
healthcare settings that are looking to replace their current healthcare information technology (HIT) partners. 

We expect to drive growth through new initiatives and services that reflect our ongoing ability to innovate and expand our 
reach into healthcare. Examples of these include our CareAware® healthcare device architecture and devices, Cerner 
Healthe™ employer services, Cerner ITWorksSM services, Cerner RevWorksSM services, physician practice solutions and 
solutions and services for the pharmaceutical market. Finally, we are focused on selling our solutions and services 
outside the United States. Many non-U.S. markets have a low penetration of HIT solutions and their governing bodies 
are in many cases focused on HIT as part of their strategy to improve the quality and lower the cost of healthcare. 

Beyond  our  strategy  for  driving  revenue  growth,  we  are  also  focused  on  earnings  growth.  Similar  to  our  history  of 
growing revenue, our net earnings have increased at more than 20% compound annual rates over the most recent 
five- and ten-year periods. We believe we can continue driving strong levels of earnings growth and leverage key areas 
to create operating margin expansion. The primary areas of opportunity for margin expansion include:

g	

g	

g	

	becoming more efficient at implementing our software by leveraging implementation tools and methodologies 
we have developed that can reduce the amount of effort required to implement our software; 
	leveraging our investments in R&D by entering new markets that do not require significant incremental R&D 
but can contribute significantly to revenue growth; and
	leveraging our scalable business infrastructure to reduce the rate of increase in general and administrative 
spending to below our revenue growth rate.

We are also focused on increasing cash flow by growing earnings, reducing the use of working capital and controlling 
capital expenditures. 

46

	
	
	
Results	Overview
The Company delivered strong levels of bookings, revenues, earnings and cash flows in 2010. 

New  business  bookings  revenue  in  2010,  which  reflects  the  value  of  executed  contracts  for  software,  hardware, 
professional services and managed services, was $2.0 billion, which is an increase of 9% compared to $1.8 billion in 
2009. Our 2010 revenues increased 11% to $1.9 billion compared to $1.7 billion in 2009. The year-over-year increase 
in revenue reflects improved economic conditions and demand driven by the stimulus incentives. As discussed in the 
“Healthcare and Healthcare IT Industry” under Part 1, Item 1, we believe the HITECH incentives and the nation’s focus 
on improving the efficiency and quality of healthcare will create a period of increased HIT demand in the United States.

Our 2010 net earnings increased 23% to $237.3 million compared to $193.5 million in 2009. Diluted earnings per 
share increased 20% to $2.78 compared to $2.31 in 2009. The 2010 and 2009 net earnings and diluted earnings 
per share reflect the impact of accounting for stock-based compensation using the fair value method to measure and 
record expense for stock options, pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification (ASC), 718, Stock Compensation. The 
effect of these expenses reduced the 2010 net earnings and diluted earnings per share by $15.6 million and $0.18, 
and the 2009 earnings and diluted earnings per share by $10.5 million and $0.12, respectively. The growth in net 
earnings and diluted earnings per share was driven primarily by strong revenue growth and continued progress with 
our margin expansion initiatives, particularly leveraging R&D investments and controlling general and administrative 
expenses. Though our full-year 2010 operating margin was 19.4%, compared to 17.5% in 2009, we achieved our long 
term goal of 20% operating margins in the third and fourth quarters of 2010. Over the next few years, we believe we 
can further expand our operating margins by 100-200 basis points per year on average.

We had cash collections of receivables of $1.9 billion in 2010 compared to $1.8 billion in 2009. Days sales outstanding 
decreased to 87 days for the 2010 fourth quarter compared to 91 days for 2010 third quarter and 90 days for the 2009 
fourth quarter, reflecting our improved cash collections. Operating cash flows for 2010 were strong at $456.4 million 
compared to $347.3 million in 2009, with the growth driven by cash collections from clients.

Healthcare	Information	Technology	Market	Outlook
We have provided a detailed assessment of the healthcare information technology market under Part I, Item 1, The 
Healthcare and Healthcare IT Industry.

47

Results	of	Operations

Fiscal	Year	2010	Compared	to	Fiscal	Year	2009

(In thousands) 

Revenues

System sales
Support and maintenance
Services
Reimbursed travel

Total revenues

Costs of revenue

Costs of revenue

Total margin

Operating expenses
Sales and client 
Software development 
General and administrative 

Total operating expenses

Total costs and expenses 

Operating earnings

Interest income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net
Income taxes

2010

% of
Revenue

2009

% of
Revenue

% Change

$ 

550,792 
 517,494 
 749,483 
 32,453 
 1,850,222 

30%  
28%
40%
2%
100%

$ 

504,561 
 493,193 
 643,678 
 30,432 
 1,671,864 

 320,356 
 1,529,866 

 767,152 
 272,851 
 130,530 
 1,170,533 

 1,490,889 

 359,333 

 3,439 
 (560)
 (124,940)

17%
83%

42%
15%
7%
64%

81%

19%

 281,198 
 1,390,666 

 700,639 
 271,051 
 126,970 
 1,098,660 

 1,379,858 

 292,006 

 308 
 367 
 (99,216)

30%
29%
39%
2%
100%

17%
83%

42%
16%
8%
66%

83%

17%

9%
5%
16%
7%
11%

14%
10%

9%
1%
3%
7%

8%

23%

Net earnings

$ 

237,272 

$ 

193,465 

23%

Revenues & Backlog

Revenues increased 11% to $1.9 billion in 2010, compared to $1.7 billion 2009.

g	

g	

g	

	System sales, which include revenues from the sale of software, technology resale (hardware and sublicensed 
software), deployment period licensed software upgrade rights, installation fees, transaction processing and 
subscriptions, increased 9% to $550.8 million in 2010 from $504.6 million in 2009. The increase in system 
sales was driven by a strong increase in licensed software and technology resale.
	Support  and  maintenance  revenues  increased  5%  to  $517.5  million  in  2010  compared  to  $493.2  million 
in  2009.  This  increase  is  attributable  to  continued  success  at  selling  Cerner  Millennium  applications, 
implementing them at client sites and initiating billing for support and maintenance fees. We expect support 
and maintenance revenues will continue to grow as the base of installed Cerner Millennium systems grow.
	Services revenue, which includes professional services excluding installation and managed services increased 
16%  to  $749.5  million  in  2010  compared  to  $643.7  million  in  2009.  This  increase  is  driven  by  growth  in 
CernerWorksSM managed services as a result of continued demand for our hosting services and an increase 
in professional services due to increased implementation activities.

Contract backlog, which reflects new business bookings that have not yet been recognized as revenue, increased 19% 
in 2010 compared to 2009. This increase was driven by growth in new business bookings during the past four quarters, 
including continued strong levels of managed services bookings that typically have longer contract terms. 

48

 
 
 
	
	
	
A summary of our total backlog for 2010 and 2009 follows:

(In thousands)

Contract backlog

2010

2009

$ 

4,285,267 

$ 

3,591,026 

Support and maintenance backlog

 654,913 

 620,616 

Total backlog

$ 

4,940,180 

$ 

4,211,642 

Costs of Revenue

Cost of revenues remained flat at 17% of total revenues in 2010 and 2009. The cost of revenues includes the cost 
of reimbursed travel expense, sales commissions, third party consulting services and subscription content, computer 
hardware and sublicensed software purchased from hardware and software manufacturers for delivery to clients. It also 
includes the cost of hardware maintenance and sublicensed software support subcontracted to the manufacturers. 
Such costs, as a percent of revenues, typically have varied as the mix of revenue (software, hardware, maintenance, 
support,  services  and  reimbursed  travel)  carrying  different  margin  rates  changes  from  period  to  period.  Costs  of 
revenues  does  not  include  the  costs  of  our  client  service  personnel  who  are  responsible  for  delivering  our  service 
offerings, such costs are included in sales and client service expense.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses increased 7% in 2010 to $1.2 billion as compared to $1.1 billion in 2009.

g	

g	

	Sales and client service expenses as a percent of total revenues were 42% in 2010 and 2009. These expenses 
increased  9%  to  $767.2  million  in  2010,  from  $700.6  million  in  2009.  Sales  and  client  service  expenses 
include salaries of sales and client service personnel, depreciation and other expenses associated with our 
CernerWorks managed service business, communications expenses, unreimbursed travel expenses, expense 
for share-based payments, sales and marketing salaries and trade show and advertising costs. The increase 
was primarily attributable to growth in the managed services business, a higher level of professional services 
expenses and an increase in bad debt expense.
	Software development expenses as a percent of revenue were 15% in 2010, as compared to 16% in 2009. 
These expenses increased 1% in 2010 to $272.9 million, from $271.1 million in 2009. Expenditures for software 
development in 2010 reflect continued development and enhancement of the Cerner Millennium platform and 
software solutions and investments in new growth initiatives. Although these expenses increased in 2010, the 
reduction as a percent of revenue reflects our ongoing efforts to control spending relative to revenue growth. 
Because of the strong platform we have built, we are able to continue advancing our solutions and investing 
in new solutions without large increases in spending. A summary of our total software development expense 
in 2010 and 2009 is as follows:

(In thousands)

Software development costs

Capitalized software costs

Capitalized costs related to share-based payments

Amortization of capitalized software costs

For the Years Ended

2010

2009

$ 

284,836 

$ 

285,187 

 (79,631)

 (1,348)

 68,994 

 (76,876)

 (871)

 63,611 

Total software development expense

$ 

272,851 

$ 

271,051 

49

 
 
 
 
	
	
 
 
 
 
g	

	General and administrative expenses as a percent of total revenues were 7% in 2010, as compared to 8% 
in  2009.  These  expenses  increased  3%  to  $130.5  million  in  2010  from  $127.0  million  in  2009.  General 
and  administrative  expenses  include  salaries  for  corporate,  financial  and  administrative  staff,  utilities, 
communications expenses, professional fees, the transaction gains or losses on foreign currency and expense 
for share-based payments. The overall increase in general and administrative expenses was driven by a net 
transaction  loss  on  foreign  currency  of  $0.9  million  in  2010  compared  to  a  gain  of  $4.0  million  in  2009. 
Additionally, increased corporate personnel costs were offset by a decrease in amortization expense driven by 
certain intangible assets being fully amortized at the end of 2009.

Non-Operating Items

g	

g	

g	

	Net interest income was $3.4 million in 2010, compared with net interest income of $0.3 million in 2009. 
Interest  income  increased  to  $10.3  million  in  2010  from  $8.8  million  in  2009,  due  primarily  to  growth  in 
investments and an increase in investment returns. Interest expense decreased to $6.9 million in 2010 from 
$8.5 million in 2009, due to payments on our long-term debt. 
	Other expense was $0.6 million in 2010, compared to other income of $0.4 million in 2009. Other income 
and expense in 2010 and 2009 includes offsetting unrealized gains and losses included in earnings related 
to our auction rate securities and put-like settlement feature in the amounts of $9.3 million and $10.5 million, 
respectively. Refer to Liquidity and Capital Resources within this MD&A and Notes (3) and (4) of the notes to 
consolidated financial statements for additional information on our auction rate securities. 
	Our effective tax rate was 34% in 2010 and 2009. There were no material changes impacting the effective tax 
rate between 2010 and 2009. 

Operations by Segment

We have two operating segments, Domestic and Global. The Domestic segment includes revenue contributions and 
expenditures associated with business activity in the United States. The Global segment includes revenue contributions 
and  expenditures  linked  to  business  activity  in  Aruba,  Australia,  Austria,  Belgium,  Canada,  Cayman  Islands,  Chile, 
China (Hong Kong), Egypt, England, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, 
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. 

The following table presents a summary of our operating segment information for the years ended 2010 and 2009:

2010

%	of
Revenue

2009

%	of
Revenue

% Change

(In thousands) 

Domestic Segment

Revenues

Costs of revenue

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

Domestic operating earnings

Global Segment

Revenues

Costs of revenue

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

Global operating earnings

Other, net

  $  1,562,563 

100%   $  1,398,715 

100%

 272,385 

 417,181 

 689,566 

 872,997 

17%

27%

44%

56%

 240,847 

 372,370 

 613,217 

 785,498 

17%

27%

44%

56%

 287,659 

100%

 273,149 

100%

 47,971 

 124,546 

 172,517 

 115,142 

 (628,806)

17%

43%

60%

40%

 40,351 

 130,256 

 170,607 

 102,542 

 (596,034)

15%

48%

62%

38%

12%

13%

12%

12%

11%

5%

19%

-4%

1%

12%

5%

23%

Consolidated operating earnings 

  $ 

359,333 

  $ 

292,006 

50

	
	
	
	
Domestic Segment

g	

g	

g	

	Revenues increased 12% to $1.6 billion in 2010 from $1.4 billion in 2009. This increase was driven by growth 
across all lines of business with the strongest growth in licensed software, managed services and professional 
services.
	Cost of revenues remained flat at 17% of revenues in both 2010 and 2009.
	Operating expenses increased 12% to $417.2 million in 2010, from $372.4 million in 2009, due primarily to 
growth in managed services expense, professional services expense and bad debt expense.

Global Segment

g	

g	

g	

	Revenues increased 5% to $287.7 million in 2010 from $273.1 million in 2009. This increase was driven by 
improved  licensed  software,  technology  resale  and  support  revenue,  mostly  from  United  Kingdom  and  the 
Middle East region, slightly offset by a decline from France. A change in estimates for certain contracts that 
rely on estimates as part of contract accounting also contributed to the increase.
	Cost of revenues was 17% and 15% of revenues in 2010 and 2009, respectively. The higher cost of revenues 
in 2010 was driven by the increase in technology resale, which carries a higher cost of revenue.
	Operating expenses decreased 4% to $124.5 million in 2010, from $130.3 million in 2009, primarily due to 
a  decrease  in  personnel-related  professional  services  expense,  partially  offset  by  an  increase  in  bad  debt 
expense. 

Other, net

Operating results not attributed to an operating segment include expenses, such as software development, marketing, 
general  and  administrative,  stock-based  compensation  and  depreciation.  These  expenses  increased  5%  to  $628.8 
million in 2010 from $596.0 million in 2009. This increase was primarily due to growth in corporate and development 
personnel costs, stock compensation cost and the previously discussed impact of foreign currency transaction gains 
and losses. 

Fiscal	Year	2009	Compared	to	Fiscal	Year	2008

(In thousands) 

Revenues

System sales
Support and maintenance
Services
Reimbursed travel

Total revenues

Costs of revenue

Costs of revenue

Total margin

Operating expenses
Sales and client 
Software development 
General and administrative 

Total operating expenses

Total costs and expenses 

Operating earnings

Interest income (expense), net
Other income (expense), net
Income taxes

2009

% of
Revenue

2008

% of
Revenue

% Change

$ 

504,561 
 493,193 
 643,678 
 30,432 
 1,671,864 

30%  
29%
39%
2%
100%

$ 

522,373 
 472,579 
 643,317 
 37,759 
 1,676,028 

 281,198 
 1,390,666 

 700,639 
 271,051 
 126,970 
 1,098,660 

 1,379,858 

 292,006 

 308 
 367 
 (99,216)

17%
83%

42%
16%
8%
66%

83%

17%

 296,063 
 1,379,965 

 715,512 
 272,519 
 113,049 
 1,101,080 

 1,397,143 

 278,885 

 3,056 
 (510)
 (92,773)

31%
28%
39%
2%
100%

18%
82%

43%
16%
7%
66%

83%

17%

-3%
4%
0%
-19%
0%

-5%
1%

-2%
-1%
12%
0%

-1%

5%

Net earnings

$ 

193,465 

$ 

188,658 

3%

51

	
	
	
	
	
	
 
 
 
Our  2008  consolidated  and  global  segment  revenues  and  margin  included  a  cumulative  catch-up  adjustment 
recognized  in  the  fourth  quarter,  in  the  amount  of  $28.6  million,  resulting  from  a  significant  change  in  accounting 
estimate related to our contract in London. The majority of the catch-up adjustment revenue was included in support, 
maintenance and services. 

Revenues and Backlog

Revenues were $1.7 billion in 2009, which was flat compared to 2008. 

g	

g	

g	

	System sales decreased 3% to $504.6 million in 2009 from $522.4 million in 2008. The decrease in system 
sales  was  driven  by  a  decline  in  technology  resale,  with  licensed  software  basically  flat  and  subscriptions 
increasing slightly. 
	Support  and  maintenance  revenues  increased  4%  to  $493.2  million  in  2009  compared  to  $472.6  million 
in  2008.  This  increase  was  attributable  to  continued  success  at  selling  Cerner  Millennium  applications, 
implementing them at client sites and initiating billing for support and maintenance fees. The growth rate of 
support and maintenance revenue was negatively impacted by the extra week in 2008 (53) compared to 2009 
(52) and the catch-up adjustment in 2008. 
	Services revenue remained flat, with growth in CernerWorksSM managed services being offset by declines in 
professional  services.  The  decline  in  professional  services  reflected  the  impact  of  the  economy  and  lower 
billable headcount in 2009 compared to 2008. 

Contract  backlog  increased  23%  in  2009  compared  to  2008.  This  increase  was  driven  by  growth  in  new  business 
bookings during the past four quarters, including continued strong levels of managed services bookings that typically 
have longer contract terms. In the second quarter of 2008, contract backlog was reduced by approximately $178.0 
million  as  a  result  of  the  contract  withdrawal  by  Fujitsu  Limited  as  the  prime  contractor  in  the  southern  region  of 
England. A summary of our total backlog for 2009 and 2008 follows:

(In thousands)

Contract backlog

2009

2008

$ 

3,591,026 

$ 

2,907,762 

Support and maintenance backlog

 620,616 

 580,915 

Total backlog

$ 

4,211,642 

$ 

3,488,677 

Costs of Revenue

Cost  of  revenues  was  17%  of  total  revenues  in  2009,  as  compared  to  18%  in  2008,  with  the  slightly  lower  level 
reflective of the decline in technology resale, which includes higher third party costs.

Operating Expenses

Total operating expenses remained flat in 2009 at $1.1 billion as compared to 2008. 

g	

g	

	Sales and client service expenses as a percent of total revenues were 42% in 2009, as compared to 43% in 
2008. These expenses decreased 2% to $700.6 million in 2009, from $715.5 million in 2008. The decrease 
was primarily attributable to lower professional services expense, partially offset by growth in the managed 
services business.
	Software  development  expense  decreased  1%  in  2009  to  $271.1  million,  from  $272.5  million  in  2008. 
Expenditures for software development in 2009 reflected continued development and enhancement of the 
Cerner Millennium platform and software solutions and investments in new growth initiatives. A summary of 
our total software development expense in 2009 and 2008 is as follows:

52

	
	
	
 
 
 
 
	
	
(In thousands)

Software development costs

Capitalized software costs

Capitalized costs related to share-based payments

Amortization of capitalized software costs

 For the Years Ended 

2009

2008

$ 

285,187 

$ 

291,368 

 (76,876)

 (871)

 63,611 

 (69,039)

 (942)

 51,132 

Total software development expense

$ 

271,051 

$ 

272,519 

g	

	General and administrative expenses as a percent of total revenues were 8% in 2009, as compared to 7% in 
2008. These expenses increased 12% to $127.0 million in 2009 from $113.0 million in 2008. We recorded a 
net transaction gain on foreign currency of $4.0 million and $9.9 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The 
lower gain in 2009 compared to 2008 was the primary reason for the increase in general and administrative 
expenses, with the balance driven by legal fees and other corporate expenses.

Non-Operating Items

g	

g	

g	

	Net interest income was $0.3 million in 2009, compared with net interest income of $3.1 million in 2008. 
Interest  income  decreased  to  $8.8  million  in  2009  from  $13.6  million  in  2008,  due  primarily  to  a  decline 
in investment returns. Interest expense decreased to $8.5 million in 2009 from $10.5 million in 2008, due 
primarily to a reduction in long-term debt. 
	Other income was $0.4 million in 2009, compared to other expense of $0.5 million in 2008. Other income and 
expense in 2009 and 2008 included offsetting unrealized gains and losses included in earnings related to 
our auction rate securities and put-like settlement feature in the amounts of $10.5 million and $19.9 million, 
respectively. Refer to Liquidity and Capital Resources within this MD&A and Notes (3) and (4) of the notes to 
consolidated financial statements for additional information on our auction rate securities. 
	Our  effective  tax  rate  was  34%  and  33%  in  2009  and  2008,  respectively.  This  net  increase  was  primarily 
due to higher tax expense recorded at the statutory rates of approximately $5.0 million and prior period tax 
expense of $2.3 million, offset by a decrease in our unrecognized tax benefits of $5.6 million. The tax rate 
for 2008 was slightly lower than normal due to strong income levels from global regions that have lower tax 
rates. Tax expense for 2009 included expense of approximately $2.3 million and 2008 included benefits of 
approximately $2.9 million for corrections relating to prior periods.

53

 
 
 
 
	
	
	
	
Operations by Segment

The following table presents a summary of our operating segment information for the years ended 2009 and 2008:

2009

%	of
Revenue

2008

%	of
Revenue

% Change

(In thousands) 

Domestic Segment

Revenues

Costs of revenue

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

Domestic operating earnings

Global Segment

Revenues

Costs of revenue

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

Global operating earnings

Other, net

  $  1,398,715 

100%   $  1,307,510 

100%

 240,847 

 372,370 

 613,217 

 785,498 

17%

27%

44%

56%

 225,955 

 361,213 

 587,168 

 720,342 

17%

28%

45%

55%

 273,149 

100%

 368,518 

100%

 40,351 

 130,256 

 170,607 

 102,542 

 (596,034)

15%

48%

62%

38%

 70,108 

 150,729 

 220,837 

 147,681 

 (589,138)

19%

41%

60%

40%

7%

7%

3%

4%

9%

-26%

-42%

-14%

-23%

-31%

1%

5%

Consolidated operating earnings 

  $ 

292,006 

  $ 

278,885 

Domestic Segment

g	

g	

g	

g	

	Revenues increased 7% to $1.4 billion in 2009 from $1.3 billion in 2008. This increase was driven by growth 
in managed services, licensed software, technology resale, and support and maintenance, partially offset by 
a decline in professional services.
	Cost of revenues was 17% of revenues in both 2009 and 2008. 
	Operating expenses increased 3% to $372.4 million in 2009, from $361.2 million in 2008, due primarily to 
growth in managed services. 
	Operating earnings of the Domestic segment increased 9% to $785.5 million in 2009 from $720.3 million in 
2008. 

Global Segment

g	

g	

g	

g	

	Revenues decreased 26% to $273.1 million in 2009 from $368.5 million in 2008. This decrease was driven 
by the previously discussed cumulative catch-up adjustment in 2008 and a decline in revenue from Middle 
Eastern and European countries resulting from the challenging global economic conditions. 
	Cost of revenues was 15% and 19% of revenues in 2009 and 2008, respectively. The lower cost of revenues 
was driven by a lower mix of hardware revenues in 2009.
	Operating expenses decreased 14% to $130.3 million in 2009, from $150.7 million in 2008, primarily due to 
a decrease in professional services expense.
	Operating earnings of the Global segment decreased 31% to $102.5 million in 2009 from $147.7 million in 
2008. This decline was driven by the catch-up adjustment in 2008 and the lower level of revenues in 2009.

Other, net

Operating results not attributed to an operating segment include expenses, such as software development, marketing, 
general  and  administrative,  stock-based  compensation  and  depreciation.  These  expenses  increased  1%  to  $596.0 
million in 2009 from $589.1 million in 2008.

54

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
Liquidity	and	Capital	Resources
Our liquidity is influenced by many factors, including the amount and timing of our revenues, our cash collections from 
our clients, and the amount we invest in software development, acquisitions and capital expenditures. 

Our principal sources of liquidity are our cash, cash equivalents, which consist of money market funds, time deposits 
and bonds with original maturities of less than 90 days and short-term investments. At the end of 2010, we had cash of 
$170.3 million, cash equivalents of $44.2 million and short-term investments of $356.5 million, as compared to cash 
of $144.8 million, cash equivalents of $97.0 million and short-term investments of $317.1 million at the end of 2009. 

Additionally, we maintain a $90 million, multi-year revolving credit facility, which provides an unsecured revolving line 
of credit for working capital purposes. Interest is payable at a rate based on prime or LIBOR plus a spread that varies 
depending on the net worth ratios maintained. The agreement provides certain restrictions on our ability to borrow, 
incur  liens,  sell  assets  and  pay  dividends  and  contains  certain  net  worth,  current  ratio  and  fixed  charge  coverage 
covenants, which as of the end of 2010, we were in compliance with. The current agreement expires on May 31, 2013. 
As of the end of 2010, we had no outstanding borrowings under this agreement; however, we have $13.6 million of 
outstanding letters of credit, which reduced our available borrowing capacity to $76.4 million. 

We believe that our present cash position, together with cash generated from operations, short-term investments and, 
if necessary, our available lines of credit, will be sufficient to meet anticipated cash requirements during 2011.

During the second quarter of 2008, Fujitsu Services Limited’s (Fujitsu) contract as the prime contractor in the National 
Health Service (NHS) initiative to automate clinical processes and digitize medical records in the Southern region of 
England was terminated by the NHS. This had the effect of automatically terminating our subcontract for the project. 
We  are  in  dispute  with  Fujitsu  regarding  Fujitsu’s  obligation  to  pay  the  amounts  comprised  of  accounts  receivable 
and contracts receivable related to that subcontract, and we are working with Fujitsu to resolve these issues based 
on processes provided for in the contract. Part of that process requires resolution of disputes between Fujitsu and 
the NHS regarding the contract termination. During the 2009 fourth quarter certain events occurred in the resolution 
process between Fujitsu and the NHS which reduced the likelihood the matter will be resolved in the next 12 months. 
Therefore  we  reclassified  the  receivables,  which  represented  more  than  10%  of  our  net  receivables,  from  current 
assets to other long term assets during the 2009 fourth quarter. The circumstances surrounding these receivables 
remained unchanged at the end of 2010 and represent the significant majority of other long-term assets at the end of 
2010 and 2009. While the ultimate collectability of the receivables pursuant to this process is uncertain, management 
believes that it has valid and equitable grounds for recovery of such amounts and that collection of recorded amounts 
is probable. 

In February and March 2008, liquidity issues in the global credit markets resulted in the progressive failure of auctions 
representing all the auction rate securities held by us. These conditions persisted through the remainder of 2008 and 
into 2009. During the fourth quarter of 2008, we entered into a settlement agreement with the investment firm that 
sold us the auction rate securities. Under  the terms of the settlement agreement,  we  received  the right to  redeem 
the securities at par value during a period from mid-2010 through mid-2012. The settlement was in effect a put-like 
instrument with a fair value generally equal to the difference between the auction rate securities’ fair value and par 
value. At the end of 2010, we held auction rate securities with a par value of $18.5 million, which approximated fair 
value, as all outstanding auction rate securities were subsequently called at par value by the issuer in January 2011. 
For a more detailed discussion of the auction rate securities, please refer to Note (3), Cash and Investments, in the 
Consolidated Financial Statements. 

55

The following table provides details about our cash flows in 2010, 2009 and 2008:

 For the Years Ended 

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash

Total change in cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

$ 

456,444

$ 

347,291

$ 

281,802

(520,896)

34,841

2,399

(27,212)

241,723

(394,321)

16,770

1,489

(28,771)

270,494

(170,607)

(11,654)

(11,961)

87,580

182,914

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$ 

214,511

$ 

241,723

$ 

270,494

Free cash flow (non-GAAP)

$ 

273,154

$ 

138,279

$ 

103,605

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

Cash collections from clients

$ 

1,900,145

$ 

1,780,127

$  1,729,526

Cash paid to employees and suppliers and other

Cash paid for interest

Cash paid for taxes, net of refund

Total cash from operations

(1,315,077)

(6,887)

(121,737)

(1,377,139)

(1,381,146)

(8,583)

(47,114)

(10,512)

(56,066)

$ 

456,444

$ 

347,291

$ 

281,802

 For the Years Ended 

Cash flows from operations increased $109.2 million in 2010 compared to 2009 and $65.5 million in 2009 compared 
to 2008 primarily due to increased cash collections from clients. During 2010, 2009 and 2008, we received total client 
cash collections of $1.90 billion, $1.78 billion and $1.73 billion, respectively, of which approximately 4%, 3% and 5% 
were received from third party client financing arrangements and non-recourse payment assignments, respectively. 
Days sales outstanding decreased to 87 days for the 2010 fourth quarter compared to 91 days for 2010 third quarter 
and 90 days for the 2009 fourth quarter, reflecting our improved cash collections. Revenues provided under support 
and maintenance agreements represent recurring cash flows. Support and maintenance revenues increased 5% in 
2010 and 4% in 2009, and we expect these revenues to continue to grow as the base of installed Cerner Millennium 
systems grows.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

(In thousands)

Capital purchases

Capitalized software development costs

Purchases of investments, net of maturities

Other, net

 For the Years Ended 

2010

2009

2008

$ 

(102,311)

$ 

(131,265)

$ 

(108,099)

(80,979)

(312,340)

(25,266)

(77,747)

(169,295)

(16,014)

 (70,098)

 17,510

 (9,920)

Total cash flows from investing activities

$ 

(520,896)

$ 

(394,321)

$ 

(170,607)

56

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash  flows  from  investing  activities  consists  primarily  of  capital  spending  and  our  short-term  investment  activities. 
Capital spending consists of capitalized equipment purchases primarily to support growth in our CernerWorks managed 
services business, capitalized land, building and improvement purchases to support our facilities requirements and 
capitalized spending to support our ongoing software development initiatives. Capital spending in 2011 is expected to 
increase from our 2010 levels, however we also expect strong levels of free cash flow.

In  addition,  during  the  first  quarter  2010,  we  completed  our  acquisition  of  IMC  Health  Care,  Inc.  for  approximately 
$14.5 million, net of the cash acquired.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

 For the Years Ended 

Line of credit and long-term debt borrowings and 
repayments, net

Cash from option exercises (incl. excess tax benefits)

Purchase of treasury stock

Other, net

Total cash flows from financing activities

$ 

$ 

(27,625)

$ 

(32,352)

$ 

(15,317)

60,950

-

1,516

34,841

 47,234

 -

 1,888

16,770

$ 

 24,530

 (28,002)

7,135

$ 

(11,654)

Our primary financing obligations are long-term debt repayments. In the fourth quarter of 2009, we commenced payment 
on the first of seven equal annual installments on our 5.54% Great Britain Pound denominated Note Agreement as 
well as on the first of four equal annual installments on our 6.42% Series B Senior Notes. Based on debts currently 
outstanding and current exchange rates, we expect our debt repayments to approximate $25 million per year through 
2012 and approximately $15 million per year from 2013 through 2015. 

Free Cash Flow

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

Cash flows from operating activities

$ 

456,444

$ 

347,291

$ 

281,802

Capital purchases

Capitalized software development costs

Free cash flow (non-GAAP)

(102,311)

(80,979)

(131,265)

(77,747)

(108,099)

(70,098)

$ 

273,154

$ 

138,279

$ 

103,605

 For the Years Ended 

Free  Cash  Flow  increased  $134.9  million  in  2010  as  compared  to  2009,  which  we  believe  reflects  continued 
strengthening of our earnings quality. Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure used by management along 
with GAAP results to analyze our earnings quality and overall cash generation of the business. The presentation of Free 
Cash Flow is not meant to be considered in isolation, as a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results and investors 
should be aware that non-GAAP measures have inherent limitations and should be read only in conjunction with our 
consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Free Cash Flow may also be different from similar 
non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies and may not be comparable to similarly titled captions of other 
companies due to potential inconsistencies in the method of calculation. We believe Free Cash Flow is important to 
enable investors to better understand and evaluate our ongoing operating results and allows for greater transparency 
in the review of our overall financial, operational and economic performance.

57

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contractual	Obligations,	Commitments	and	Off	Balance	Sheet	Arrangements

The  following  table  represents  a  summary  of  our  contractual  obligations  and  commercial  commitments,  excluding 
interest, at the end of 2010, except short-term purchase order commitments arising in the ordinary course of business.

(In thousands)

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 and 
thereafter

Total

Payments due by period

Long-term debt obligations

  $  24,695   $ 

24,351   $  14,488    $  14,488    $  14,488   $ 

-   $  92,510 

Capital lease obligations

Operating lease obligations

Purchase obligations

Uncertain tax positions 

142

23,646 

18,810 

243 

108 

21,891 

13,707 

3,816 

- 

- 

19,847 

17,564 

7,850 

3,427 

6,515 

6,614 

- 

11,392 

3,263 

- 

- 

250 

48,799 

13,291 

- 

143,139 

63,436

14,100

Total

  $  67,536  $  63,873   $  45,612   $  45,181   $  29,143   $  62,090   $  313,435 

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements. The effects of inflation on our business during 2010, 2009 and 2008 
were not significant.

Recent	Accounting	Pronouncements

During  2009,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  (FASB)  issued  guidance  on  revenue  recognition  for  non-
software elements that became effective for us beginning on January 2, 2011. Under the new guidance an entity is 
required to apply the relative selling price allocation method in order to estimate selling price for all units of accounting, 
including  delivered  items,  when  vendor-specific  objective  evidence  (VSOE)  or  acceptable  third  party  evidence  (TPE) 
does not exist. In addition, expanded disclosures are required to provide both qualitative and quantitative information 
about  the  significant  judgments  made  in  applying  the  guidance  and  subsequent  changes  in  those  judgments  that 
may significantly affect the timing or amount of revenue recognition. Further, for arrangements that include software 
elements,  tangible  products  that  have  software  components  that  are  essential  to  the  functionality  of  the  tangible 
product will no longer be within the scope of the software revenue recognition guidance, and software-enabled products 
will now be subject to other relevant revenue recognition guidance. The guidance is effective for revenue arrangements 
entered into or materially modified in fiscal years beginning on or after June 15, 2010. We are assessing the adoption 
of the new guidance and do not believe it will have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations. 

Critical	Accounting	Policies

We  believe  that  there  are  several  accounting  policies  that  are  critical  to  understanding  our  historical  and  future 
performance,  as  these  policies  affect  the  reported  amount  of  revenue  and  other  significant  areas  involving  our 
judgments and estimates. These significant accounting policies relate to revenue recognition, software development, 
potential impairments of goodwill and income taxes. These policies and our procedures related to these policies are 
described in detail below and under specific areas within this MD&A. In addition, Note (1) to the consolidated financial 
statements expands upon discussion of our accounting policies.

Revenue Recognition

We recognize revenue within our multiple element arrangements, including software and software-related services, 
using the residual method. Key factors in our revenue recognition model are our assessments that installation services 
are essential to the functionality of our software whereas implementation services are not; and the length of time it 
takes for us to achieve the delivery and installation milestones for our licensed software. If our business model were 
to  change  such  that  implementation  services  are  deemed  to  be  essential  to  the  functionality  of  our  software,  the 
period of time over which our licensed software revenue would be recognized would lengthen. We generally recognize 
revenue from the sale of our licensed software over two key milestones, delivery and installation, based on percentages 
that reflect the underlying effort from planning to installation. Generally, both milestones are achieved in the quarter 

58

the contracts are executed. If the period of time to achieve our delivery and installation milestones for our licensed 
software were to lengthen, our milestones would be adjusted and the timing of revenue recognition for our licensed 
software could materially change. 

We also recognize revenue for certain projects using the percentage of completion method. Our revenue recognition 
is  dependent  upon  our  ability  to  reliably  estimate  the  direct  labor  hours  to  complete  a  project  which  generally  can 
span several years. We utilize our historical project experience and detailed planning process as a basis for our future 
estimates to complete current projects. Significant delays in completion of the projects, unforeseen cost increases or 
penalties could result in significant reductions to revenue and margins on these contracts. The actual project results 
can be significantly different from the estimated results. When adjustments are indentified near or at the end of a 
project, the full impact of the change in estimate is recognized in that period. This can result in a material impact on 
our results for a single reporting period.

Software Development Costs

Costs incurred internally in creating computer software solutions and enhancements to those solutions are expensed 
until  completion  of  a  detailed  program  design,  which  is  when  we  determine  that  technological  feasibility  has  been 
established. Thereafter, all software development costs are capitalized until such time as the software solutions and 
enhancements are available for general release, and the capitalized costs subsequently are reported at the lower of 
amortized cost or net realizable value. 

Net realizable value is computed as the estimated gross future revenues from each software solution less the amount 
of  estimated  future  costs  of  completing  and  disposing  of  that  product.  Because  the  development  of  projected  net 
future revenues related to our software solutions used in our net realizable value computation is based on estimates, 
a significant reduction in our future revenues could impact the recovery of our capitalized software development costs. 
We  historically  have  not  experienced  significant  inaccuracies  in  computing  the  net  realizable  value  of  our  software 
solutions and the difference between the net realizable value and the unamortized cost has grown over the past three 
years. We expect that trend to continue in the future. If we missed our estimates of net future revenues by up to 10%, 
the amount of our capitalized software development costs would not be impaired. 

Capitalized  costs  are  amortized  based  on  current  and  expected  net  future  revenue  for  each  software  solution  with 
minimum annual amortization equal to the straight-line amortization over the estimated economic life of the software 
solution.  We  are  amortizing  capitalized  costs  over  five  years.  The  five-year  period  over  which  capitalized  software 
development costs are amortized is an estimate based upon our forecast of a reasonable useful life for the capitalized 
costs. Historically, use of our software programs by our clients has exceeded five years and is capable of being used a 
decade or more. 

We  expect  that  major  software  information  systems  companies,  large  information  technology  consulting  service 
providers and systems integrators and others specializing in the healthcare industry may offer competitive products 
or services. The pace of change in the HIT market is rapid and there are frequent new product introductions, product 
enhancements and evolving industry standards and requirements. As a result, the capitalized software solutions may 
become less valuable or obsolete and could be subject to impairment.

Fair Value Measurements

We determine fair value measurements used in our consolidated financial statements based upon the price that would 
be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the 
measurement date. The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based 
on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs) and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about 
market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable 
inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted 
prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 
3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below: 

59

g	

g	

g	

	Level 1 – Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity 
has the ability to access.
	Level 2 – Valuations based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are 
not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable data for substantially the 
full term of the assets or liabilities.
	Level 3 – Valuations based on inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant 
to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

As of the end of 2010, we held investments in money market funds, time deposits, commercial paper and government 
and corporate bonds. Auction rate securities are debt instruments with long-term nominal maturities, for which the 
interest rates regularly reset every 7-35 days under an auction system. Due to the lack of availability of observable 
market quotes on our investment portfolio of auction rate securities, we historically utilized valuation models that were 
based on discounted cash flow streams, including assessments of counterparty credit quality, default risk underlying 
the security, discount rates and overall capital market liquidity. The valuation was subject to uncertainties that were 
difficult to predict. If different assumptions were used for the various inputs to the valuation, including, but not limited 
to, assumptions involving the estimated holding periods for the auction rate securities, the estimated cash flows over 
those estimated lives, and the estimated discount rates, including the liquidity discount rate, applied to those cash 
flows, the estimated fair value of these investments could have been significantly higher or lower than the fair value 
we determined. At the end of 2010, we transferred our auction rate securities classified as Level 3 to Level 2 as all 
outstanding auction rate securities were subsequently called at par value by the issuer in January 2011.

A considerable amount of judgment and estimation was applied in the valuation of auction rate securities. In addition, 
we  also  apply  judgment  in  determining  whether  the  marketable  securities  are  other-than-temporarily  impaired.  We 
typically consider the severity and duration of the decline, future prospects of the issuer and our ability and intent to 
hold the security to recovery.

Goodwill

Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized but are evaluated for impairment annually or 
whenever there is an impairment indicator. All goodwill is assigned to a reporting unit, where it is subject to an annual 
impairment test based on fair value. We assess goodwill for impairment in the second quarter of each fiscal year and 
evaluate impairment indicators at each quarter end. We assessed our goodwill for impairment in the second quarters 
of 2010 and 2009 and concluded that goodwill was not impaired. In each respective year, the fair values of each of 
our reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts by a significant margin. We used a discounted cash flow analysis 
utilizing Level 3 inputs, to determine the fair value of the reporting units for all periods. Goodwill amounted to $161.4 
million  and  $151.5  million  at  the  end  of  2010  and  2009,  respectively.  If  future,  anticipated  cash  flows  from  our 
reporting units that recognized goodwill do not materialize as expected, our goodwill could be impaired, which could 
result in significant charges to earnings. 

Income Taxes

We make a number of assumptions and estimates in determining the appropriate amount of expense to record for 
income taxes. These assumptions and estimates consider the taxing jurisdictions in which we operate as well as current 
tax regulations. Accruals are established for estimates of tax effects for certain transactions, business structures and 
future projected profitability of our businesses based on our interpretation of existing facts and circumstances. If these 
assumptions and estimates were to change as a result of new evidence or changes in circumstances, the change in 
estimate could result in a material adjustment to the consolidated financial statements.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between 
the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax 
assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which 
those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.

We have discussed the development and selection of these critical accounting estimates with the Audit Committee of 
our Board of Directors and the Audit Committee has reviewed our disclosure contained herein.

60

	
	
	
Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We  use  a  foreign-currency  denominated  debt  instrument  to  reduce  our  foreign  currency  exposure  in  the  U.K.  As  of 
the end of 2010, we designated all of our Great Britain Pound (GBP) denominated long-term debt (46.4 million GBP) 
as a net investment hedge of our U.K. operations. Because the borrowing is denominated in pounds, we are exposed 
to movements in the foreign currency exchange rate between the U.S. dollar (USD) and the GPB. We estimate that a 
hypothetical 10% change in the foreign currency exchange rate between the USD and GBP would have impacted the 
unrealized  loss,  net  of  related  income  tax  effects,  of  the  net  investment  hedge  recognized  in  other  comprehensive 
income by approximately $5.5 million. Please refer to Notes (9) and (10) to the Consolidated Financial Statements for 
a more detailed discussion of the foreign-currency denominated debt instrument.

Item 8.    Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The Financial Statements and Notes required by this Item are submitted as a separate part of this report.

Item 9.    Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

N/A

Item 9.A.  Controls and Procedures 

a) 

b) 

c) 

 Evaluation  of  disclosure  controls  and  procedures.  The  Company’s  Chief  Executive  Officer  (CEO)  and  Chief 
Financial Officer (CFO) have evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures 
(as defined in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by the 
Annual Report (the Evaluation Date). They have concluded that, as of the Evaluation Date and based on the 
evaluation of these controls and procedures required by paragraph (b) of Exchange Act Rule 13a-15 or 15d-
15, these disclosure controls and procedures were effective to ensure that material information relating to 
the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries would be made known to them by others within those entities 
and would be disclosed on a timely basis. The CEO and CFO have concluded that the Company’s disclosure 
controls and procedures are designed, and are effective, to give reasonable assurance that the information 
required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, 
summarized and reported within the time period specified in the rules and forms of the SEC. They have also 
concluded  that  the  Company’s  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  are  effective  to  ensure  that  information 
required to be disclosed in the reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act are accumulated and 
communicated to the Company’s management, including the CEO and CFO, to allow timely decisions regarding 
required disclosure. 

 There were no changes in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting during the three months 
ended January 1, 2011, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, its internal 
controls over financial reporting.

 The Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, have concluded 
that our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting are designed to provide 
reasonable  assurance  of  achieving  their  objectives  and  are  effective  at  that  reasonable  assurance  level. 
However, the Company’s management can provide no assurance that our disclosure controls and procedures 
or our internal control over financial reporting can prevent all errors and all fraud under all circumstances. 
A  control  system,  no  matter  how  well  conceived  and  operated,  can  provide  only  reasonable,  not  absolute, 
assurance  that  the  objectives  of  the  control  system  are  met.  Further,  the  design  of  a  control  system  must 
reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative 
to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide 
absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been or 
will be detected. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about 
the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its 
stated  goals  under  all  potential  future  conditions;  over  time,  controls  may  become  inadequate  because  of 
changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of 
the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and 
not be detected.

61

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial 
reporting  (as  defined  in  Rule  13a-15(f)  under  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  as  amended).  The  Company’s 
management  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  the  Company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  January 
1,  2011.  In  making  this  assessment,  the  Company’s  management  used  the  criteria  set  forth  by  the  Committee  of 
Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (COSO)  in  its  Internal  Control-Integrated  Framework.  The 
Company’s  management  has  concluded  that,  as  of  January  1,  2011,  the  Company’s  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting is effective based on these criteria. The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm that audited 
the consolidated financial statements included in the annual report has issued an audit report on the effectiveness 
of  the  Company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  which  is  included  herein  under  “Report  of  Independent 
Registered Public Accounting Firm”.

Item 9.B.  Other Information

N/A

PART III

Item 10.  Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

The  information  required  by  this  Item  10  regarding  our  Directors  will  be  set  forth  under  the  caption  “Election  of 
Directors” in our Proxy Statement in connection with the 2011 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting scheduled to be held 
May 27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 10 by reference. The information required by this Item 10 concerning 
compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 will be set forth under the caption “Section 16(a) 
Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in our Proxy Statement in connection with the 2011 Annual Shareholders’ 
Meeting scheduled to be held May 27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 10 by reference. 

The information required by this Item 10 concerning our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics will be set forth under 
the  caption  “Code  of  Business  Conduct  and  Ethics”  in  our  Proxy  Statement  in  connection  with  the  2011  Annual 
Shareholders’  Meeting  scheduled  to  be  held  May  27,  2011,  and  is  incorporated  in  this  Item  10  by  reference.  The 
information required by this Item 10 concerning our Audit Committee and our Audit Committee financial expert will be 
set forth under the caption “Audit Committee” in our Proxy Statement in connection with the 2011 Annual Shareholders’ 
Meeting scheduled to be held May 27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 10 by reference.

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to our 
Board  of  Directors  since  our  last  disclosure  thereof.  The  names  of  our  executive  officers  and  their  ages,  titles  and 
biographies are incorporated by reference under the caption “Executive Officers of the Registrant” under Part I, above.

Item 11.  Executive Compensation

The information required by this Item 11 concerning our executive compensation will be set forth under the caption 
“Compensation Discussion and Analysis” in our Proxy Statement in connection with the 2011 Annual Shareholders’ 
Meeting scheduled to be held May 27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 11 by reference. The information required 
by this Item 11 concerning Compensation Committee interlocks and insider participation will be set forth under the 
caption  “Compensation  Committee  Interlocks  and  Insider  Participation”  in  our  Proxy  Statement  in  connection  with 
the  2011  Annual  Shareholders’  Meeting  scheduled  to  be  held  May  27,  2011,  and  is  incorporated  in  this  Item  11 
by reference. The information required by this Item 11 concerning Compensation Committee report will be set forth 
under  the  caption  “Compensation  Committee  Report”  in  our  Proxy  Statement  in  connection  with  the  2011  Annual 
Shareholders’ Meeting scheduled to be held May 27, 2011 and is incorporated in this Item 11 by reference. 

Item 12.  Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information required by this Item 12 will be set forth under the caption “Voting Securities and Principal Holders 
Thereof” in our Proxy Statement in connection with the 2011 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting scheduled to be held May 
27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 12 by reference. 

62

The following table provides information about our common stock that may be issued under our equity compensation 
plans as of January 1, 2011.

Securities to 
be issued upon 
exercise of 
outstanding 
options and 
rights (1)

Weighted 
average exercise 
price per share 
(2)

Securities 
available 
for future 
issuance

Plan Category

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(3)

7,487,305

$ 

37.73

1,419,585

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

Total

-

7,487,305

-

-

1,419,585

(1) Includes grants of stock options, time-based and performance-based restricted stock.
(2) Includes weighted-average exercise price of outstanding stock options only.
(3)  Includes the Stock Option Plan D, Stock Option Plan E, 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F and 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan G. No 

new grants were permitted to be issued after January 1, 2005 for Stock Option Plans D and E, but some awards remain outstanding.

All other information required by this Item is incorporated by reference from the Proxy Statement under the section 
entitled “Principal Security Ownership and Certain Beneficial Owners.”

Item 13.  Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required by this Item 13 concerning our transactions with related parties will be set forth under the 
caption  “Certain  Transactions”  in  our  Proxy  Statement  in  connection  with  the  2011  Annual  Shareholders’  Meeting 
scheduled to be held May 27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 13 by reference. The information required by this 
Item 13 concerning director independence will be set forth under the caption “Director Independence” in our Proxy 
Statement  in  connection  with  the  2011  Annual  Shareholders’  Meeting  scheduled  to  be  held  May  27,  2011,  and  is 
incorporated in this Item 13 by reference.

Item 14.  Principal Accountant Fees and Services 

The information required by this Item 14 will be set forth under the caption “Relationship with Independent Registered 
Public Accounting Firm” in our Proxy Statement in connection with the 2011 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting scheduled 
to be held May 27, 2011, and is incorporated in this Item 14 by reference.

63

 
PART IV

Item 15.  Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a)  Financial Statements and Exhibits. 

(1) 

Consolidated Financial Statements:

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Balance Sheets - 
As of January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2010 

Consolidated Statements of Operations - 
Years Ended January 1, 2011, January 2, 2010, and January 3, 2009

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity - 
Years Ended January 1, 2011, January 2, 2010, and January 3, 2009

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - 
Years Ended January 1, 2011, January 2, 2010, and January 3, 2009

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(2) 

 The following financial statement schedule and Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm of the Registrant for 
the three-year period ended January 1, 2011 are included herein:

 All other schedules are omitted, as the required information is inapplicable or the information is presented in the consolidated 
financial statements or related notes.

(3) 

 See the Index of Exhibits immediately following the signature page of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

64

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly 
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

Date: February 16, 2011 

CERNER CORPORATION

By:/s/Neal L. Patterson 
 Neal L. Patterson
 Chairman of the Board and
 Chief Executive Officer 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following 
persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

Signature and Title

Date

/s/Neal L. Patterson 
Neal L. Patterson, Chairman of the Board and 
 Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/Clifford W. Illig 
Clifford W. Illig, Vice Chairman and Director

/s/Marc G. Naughton 
Marc G. Naughton, Executive Vice President and 
 Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)

/s/Michael R. Battaglioli  
Michael R. Battaglioli, Vice President and 
 Chief Accounting Officer

/s/Gerald E. Bisbee, Jr. 
Gerald E. Bisbee, Jr., Ph.D., Director

/s/John C. Danforth 
John C. Danforth, Director

/s/Linda M. Dillman 
Linda M. Dillman, Director

/s/William B. Neaves 
William B. Neaves, Ph.D., Director

/s/William D. Zollars 
William D. Zollars, Director

65

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

February 16, 2011

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Index to Exhibits

Exhibit 
Number

Exhibit Description

3(a)

3(b)

4(a)

4(b)

4(c)

4(d)

4(e)

4(f)

10(a) *

10(b)*

10(c)*

10(d)*

10(e)*

10(f)*

10(g)*

10(h)*

10(i)*

10(j)*

10(k)*

Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the 
Registrant, dated December 5, 2003

Amended & Restated Bylaws, as amended March 31, 
2010

Specimen stock certificate

Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated 
November 30, 2006, among Cerner Corporation and U.S. 
Bank N.A., Bank of America, N.A. (successor in interest 
to LaSalle Bank National Association), Commerce Bank, 
N.A. and UMB Bank, N.A.

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit 
Agreement, dated November 12, 2009, among Cerner 
Corporation, U.S. Bank National Association, Bank of 
America, N.A., Commerce Bank, N.A. and UMB Bank, N.A.

Cerner Corporation Note Agreement, dated April 1, 1999, 
among Cerner Corporation, Principal Life Insurance 
Company, Principal Life Insurance Company, on behalf 
of one or more separate accounts, Commercial Union 
Life Insurance Company of America, Nippon Life 
Insurance Company of America, John Hancock Mutual 
Life Insurance Company, John Hancock Variable Life 
Insurance Company, and Investors Partner Life Insurance 
Company

Note Purchase Agreement, dated December 15, 2002, 
among Cerner Corporation and the purchasers therein

Cerner Corporation Note Purchase Agreement, dated 
November 1, 2005, among Cerner Corporation, as issuer, 
and AIG Annuity Insurance Company, American General 
Life Insurance Company and Principal Life Insurance 
Company, as purchasers

2006 Form of Indemnification Agreement for use 
between the Registrant and its Directors

2010 Form of Indemnification Agreement for use 
between the Registrant and its Directors and Section 16 
Officers

Amended & Restated Executive Employment Agreement 
of Neal L. Patterson dated January 1, 2008

Amended Stock Option Plan D of Registrant dated 
December 8, 2000

Amended Stock Option Plan E of Registrant dated 
December 8, 2000

Incorporated by Reference

Exhibit

Filing Date

Filed 
Herewith

3(a)

3.2

4(a)

99.1

1/3/2004

4/6/2010

2/28/2007

12/6/2006

Form

10-K

8-K

10-K

8-K

8-K

99.1

11/18/2009

8-K

4(e)

4/23/1999

10-K

8-K

10-K

8-K

10-K

10-K

10-K

10(x)

99.1

3/12/2003

11/7/2005

10(a)

2/28/2007

99.1

6/3/2010

10(c)

10(f)

10(g)

Annex I

10(g)

2/27/2008

3/30/2001

3/30/2001

4/16/2001

2/27/2008

10(a)

4/30/2010

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F

DEF 14A

Cerner Corporation 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan G 
Amended & Restated dated October 1, 2007

Cerner Corporation 2001 Associate Stock Purchase Plan 
as Amended and Restated dated March 1, 2010

10-K

10-Q

Qualified Performance-Based Compensation Plan as 
Amended and Restated dated May 28, 2010

Form of 2010 Executive Performance Agreement

Cerner Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation 
Plan as Amended & Restated dated January 1, 2008

DEF 14A

Annex I

4/16/2010

8-K

10-K

99.1

10(k)

4/6/2010

2/27/2008

66

Exhibit Description

Exhibit

Filing Date

Filed 

Herewith

Incorporated by Reference

3(a)

3.2

4(a)

99.1

1/3/2004

4/6/2010

2/28/2007

12/6/2006

Exhibit 

Number

3(a)

3(b)

4(a)

4(b)

4(e)

4(f)

10(f)*

10(g)*

10(j)*

10(k)*

Second Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the 

Registrant, dated December 5, 2003

Amended & Restated Bylaws, as amended March 31, 

2010

Specimen stock certificate

Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated 

November 30, 2006, among Cerner Corporation and U.S. 

Bank N.A., Bank of America, N.A. (successor in interest 

to LaSalle Bank National Association), Commerce Bank, 

N.A. and UMB Bank, N.A.

Agreement, dated November 12, 2009, among Cerner 

Corporation, U.S. Bank National Association, Bank of 

America, N.A., Commerce Bank, N.A. and UMB Bank, N.A.

among Cerner Corporation, Principal Life Insurance 

Company, Principal Life Insurance Company, on behalf 

of one or more separate accounts, Commercial Union 

Life Insurance Company of America, Nippon Life 

Insurance Company of America, John Hancock Mutual 

Life Insurance Company, John Hancock Variable Life 

Insurance Company, and Investors Partner Life Insurance 

Company

Note Purchase Agreement, dated December 15, 2002, 

among Cerner Corporation and the purchasers therein

Cerner Corporation Note Purchase Agreement, dated 

November 1, 2005, among Cerner Corporation, as issuer, 

and AIG Annuity Insurance Company, American General 

Life Insurance Company and Principal Life Insurance 

Company, as purchasers

4(c)

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Credit 

8-K

99.1

11/18/2009

4(d)

Cerner Corporation Note Agreement, dated April 1, 1999, 

8-K

4(e)

4/23/1999

10(a) *

2006 Form of Indemnification Agreement for use 

10(a)

2/28/2007

between the Registrant and its Directors

10(b)*

2010 Form of Indemnification Agreement for use 

99.1

6/3/2010

between the Registrant and its Directors and Section 16 

Officers

10(c)*

Amended & Restated Executive Employment Agreement 

of Neal L. Patterson dated January 1, 2008

10(d)*

Amended Stock Option Plan D of Registrant dated 

10(e)*

Amended Stock Option Plan E of Registrant dated 

December 8, 2000

December 8, 2000

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F

DEF 14A

Cerner Corporation 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan G 

Amended & Restated dated October 1, 2007

10(h)*

Cerner Corporation 2001 Associate Stock Purchase Plan 

10(a)

4/30/2010

as Amended and Restated dated March 1, 2010

10(i)*

Qualified Performance-Based Compensation Plan as 

DEF 14A

Annex I

4/16/2010

Amended and Restated dated May 28, 2010

Form of 2010 Executive Performance Agreement

Cerner Corporation Executive Deferred Compensation 

Plan as Amended & Restated dated January 1, 2008

10(x)

99.1

3/12/2003

11/7/2005

10(c)

10(f)

10(g)

Annex I

10(g)

2/27/2008

3/30/2001

3/30/2001

4/16/2001

2/27/2008

99.1

10(k)

4/6/2010

2/27/2008

Form

10-K

8-K

10-K

8-K

10-K

8-K

10-K

8-K

10-K

10-K

10-K

10-K

10-Q

8-K

10-K

10-Q

10-K

10-Q

10-K

10-K

8-K

10-K

8-K

10a

10/29/2010

10(v)

3/17/2005

10(a)

11/10/2005

10(x)

3/17/2005

10(w)

3/17/2005

99.1

6/4/2010

10(q)

2/27/2008

10.2 & 
10.3

2/9/2007

10-K

10(t)

2/22/2010

8-K

99.1

1/22/2010

X

X

X

X

X

X

10(l)*

10(m)*

10(n)*

10(o)*

10(p)*

10(q)*

10(r)*

10(s)*

10(t)*

10(u)

11

21

23

31.1

31.2

32.1

32.2

Cerner Corporation 2005 Enhanced Severance Pay Plan 
as Amended & Restated dated August 15, 2010

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F 
Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F 
Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Certificate

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F 
Nonqualified Stock Option Director Agreement

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F 
Director Restricted Stock Agreement

Cerner Corporation 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F 
Restricted Performance-Based Stock Agreement for 
Section 16 Officers

Cerner Corporation 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan G 
Nonqualified Stock Option Grant Certificate

Time Sharing Agreements between the Registrant and 
Neal L. Patterson and Clifford W. Illig both dated February 
7, 2007

Notice of Change of Aircraft Provided Under Time Sharing 
Agreements from Registrant to Neal L. Patterson and 
Clifford W. Illig, both notices dated December 28, 2009

Interparty Agreement, dated January 19, 2010, among 
Kansas Unified Development, LLC, OnGoal, LLC and 
Cerner Corporation,

Computation of Registrant’s Earnings Per Share. (Exhibit 
omitted. Information contained in notes to consolidated 
financial statements.)

Subsidiaries of Registrant

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting 
Firm

Certification of Neal L. Patterson pursuant to Section 302 
of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Certification of Marc G. Naughton pursuant to Section 
302 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as 
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
of 2002

Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as 
adopted pursuant to Section 906 of Sarbanes-Oxley Act 
of 2002

101.INS†

XBRL Instance Document 

101.SCH†

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL†

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.LAB†

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document

101.PRE†

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

101.DEF†

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

*  Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement required to be identified by item 15(a)(3). 
†  XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language) information is furnished and not filed or a part of a registration statement or prospectus for 
purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, is deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections.

67

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
Cerner Corporation:

We have audited Cerner Corporation’s (the Corporation) internal control over financial reporting as of January 1, 2011, 
based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control  –  Integrated  Framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring 
Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  (COSO).  The  Corporation’s  management  is  responsible  for  maintaining 
effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over 
financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting, 
appearing in Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Corporation’s internal control over financial 
reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether 
effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining 
an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and 
testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit 
also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our 
audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance 
with  generally  accepted  accounting  principles.  A  company’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  includes  those 
policies  and  procedures  that  (1)  pertain  to  the  maintenance  of  records  that,  in  reasonable  detail,  accurately  and 
fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that 
transactions  are  recorded  as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  generally 
accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance 
with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding 
prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have 
a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. 
Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become 
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may 
deteriorate.

In  our  opinion,  Cerner  Corporation  maintained,  in  all  material  respects,  effective  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting as of January 1, 2011, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the 
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States), the consolidated balance sheets of Cerner Corporation and subsidiaries as of January 1, 2011 and January 
2, 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for 
each of the years in the three-year period ended January 1, 2011, and our report dated February 16, 2011 expressed 
an unqualified opinion on those consolidated financial statements.

/s/KPMG LLP
Kansas City, Missouri
February 16, 2011

68

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Stockholders
Cerner Corporation:

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cerner Corporation and subsidiaries (collectively, 
the Corporation) as of January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, 
changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 1, 2011. 
These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Corporation’s management. Our responsibility is 
to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether 
the  financial  statements  are  free  of  material  misstatement.  An  audit  includes  examining,  on  a  test  basis,  evidence 
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting 
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement 
presentation. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In  our  opinion,  the  consolidated  financial  statements  referred  to  above  present  fairly,  in  all  material  respects,  the 
financial position of Cerner Corporation and subsidiaries as of January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2010, and the results 
of  their  operations  and  their  cash  flows  for  each  of  the  years  in  the  three-year  period  ended  January  1,  2011,  in 
conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States),  Cerner  Corporation’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  January  1,  2011,  based  on  criteria 
established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway  Commission  (COSO),  and  our  report  dated  February  16,  2011  expressed  an  unqualified  opinion  on  the 
effectiveness of Cerner Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting.

/s/KPMG LLP
Kansas City, Missouri
February 16, 2011

Management’s Report

The  management  of  Cerner  Corporation  is  responsible  for  the  consolidated  financial  statements  and  all  other 
information presented in this report. The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally 
accepted accounting principles appropriate to the circumstances, and, therefore, included in the financial statements 
are certain amounts based on management’s informed estimates and judgments. Other financial information in this 
report  is  consistent  with  that  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  The  consolidated  financial  statements  have 
been audited by Cerner Corporation’s independent registered public accountants and have been reviewed by the Audit 
Committee of the Board of Directors.

69

CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
As of January 1, 2011 and January 2, 2010

(In thousands, except share data)

2010

2009

Assets

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Receivables, net

Inventory

Prepaid expenses and other

Deferred income taxes

Total current assets

Property and equipment, net

Software development costs, net

Goodwill

Intangible assets, net

Long-term investments

Other assets

Total assets

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable

Current installments of long-term debt

Deferred revenue

Accrued payroll and tax withholdings 

Other accrued expenses

Total current liabilities

Long-term debt

Deferred income taxes and other liabilities

Deferred revenue

Total Liabilities

Stockholders’ Equity:

Cerner Corporation stockholders’ equity:

Com mon stock, $.01 par value, 150,000,000 shares authorized, 

84,029,285 shares issued at January 1, 2011 and  
82,564,708 shares issued at January 2, 2010

Additional paid-in capital

Retained earnings

Treasury stock, 790,000 shares

 Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net

Total Cerner Corporation stockholders’ equity

Noncontrolling interest

Total stockholders’ equity

  $ 

214,511

  $ 

241,723

356,501

476,905

11,036

83,272

3,836

317,113

461,411

11,242

106,791

8,055

1,146,061

1,146,335

498,829

244,848

161,374

38,468

264,467

68,743

509,178

233,265

151,479

33,719

-

74,591

  $  2,422,790

  $  2,148,567

  $ 

  $ 

65,035

24,837

109,351

86,921

19,788

305,932

67,923

126,215

17,303

517,373

840

645,815

1,290,835

(28,002)

(4,191)

1,905,297

120

36,893

25,014

137,095

80,093

79,008

358,103

95,506

98,372

15,788

567,769

826

557,545

1,053,563

(28,002)

(3,254)

1,580,678

120

1,905,417

1,580,798

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

  $  2,422,790

  $  2,148,567

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

70

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
	 CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
For the years ended January 1, 2011, January 2, 2010 and January 3, 2009

(In thousands, except per share data)

2010

2009

2008

For the Years Ended

Revenues:

System sales

  $  550,792

  $  504,561 

  $  522,373 

Support, maintenance and services

  1,266,977

  1,136,871 

  1,115,896 

Reimbursed travel

Total revenues

Costs and expenses:

Cost of system sales

Cost of support, maintenance and services

Cost of reimbursed travel

Sales and client service

Software development

(Includes amortization of 
$68,994, $63,611 and $51,132, respectively)

General and administrative

Total costs and expenses

Operating earnings

Other income (expense):

Interest income (expense), net

Other income (expense), net

Total other income (expense), net

Earnings before income taxes 

Income taxes

Net earnings

Basic earnings per share

Diluted earnings per share

Basic weighted average shares outstanding

Diluted weighted average shares outstanding

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

32,453 

30,432 

37,759 

  1,850,222 

  1,671,864 

  1,676,028 

221,055 

66,848 

32,453 

767,152 

272,851 

186,626 

64,140 

30,432 

700,639 

271,051 

197,150 

61,154 

37,759 

715,512 

272,519 

130,530 

126,970 

113,049 

  1,490,889 

  1,379,858 

  1,397,143 

359,333 

292,006 

278,885 

3,439 

(560)

2,879 

362,212 

(124,940)

308 

367 

675 

292,681 

(99,216)

3,056 

(510)

2,546 

281,431 

(92,773)

  $  237,272 

  $  193,465 

  $  188,658 

  $ 

  $ 

2.88 

  $ 

2.39 

  $ 

2.34 

2.78 

  $ 

2.31 

  $ 

 2.26 

82,458 

85,424 

80,981 

83,882 

80,549 

83,435 

71

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(In thousands)

Common Stock

Shares

Amount

Additional
Paid-in
Capital

Retained 
Earnings

Treasury
Stock

Accumulated 
Other
Comprehensive
Income (Loss)

Comprehensive
Income (Loss)

Balance at December 30, 2007

 80,148    $ 

801   

$  451,876    $  671,440   

$ 

-   

$ 

8,311 

Exercise of options

 895 

 9 

 15,250 

Employee stock option 
compensation expense

Employee stock option 
compensation net excess tax 
benefit

Purchase of treasury shares

Foreign currency translation 
adjustments and other

Net earnings

Comprehensive Income

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 14,788 

 9,166 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 188,658 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 (28,002)

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 (21,288)   $ 

(21,288)

 - 

 188,658 

$ 

167,370 

Balance at January 3, 2009

 81,043   

810   

  491,080   

860,098   

(28,002) 

(12,977)

Exercise of options

 1,522 

 16 

 29,773 

Employee stock option 
compensation expense

Employee stock option 
compensation net excess tax 
benefit

Foreign currency translation 
adjustments and other

Net earnings

Comprehensive Income

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 15,786 

 20,906 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 193,465 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 9,723   

$ 

9,723 

 193,465 

$ 

203,188 

Balance at January 2, 2010

 82,565   

826   

  557,545   

  1,053,563   

(28,002) 

(3,254)

Exercise of options

 1,464 

 14 

 34,710 

Employee stock option 
compensation expense

Employee stock option 
compensation net excess tax 
benefit

Foreign currency translation 
adjustments and other

Net earnings

Comprehensive Income

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 23,723 

 29,837 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

237,272

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 (937) 

$ 

 (937)

 237,272 

$ 

236,335 

Balance at January 1, 2011

 84,029    $ 

840   

$  645,815    $ 1,290,835   

$ 

(28,002) 

$ 

(4,191)

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

72

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CERNER CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
For the years ended January 1, 2011, January 2, 2010 and January 3, 2009

(In thousands)

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net earnings
Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to net cash  
provided by operating activities:

Depreciation and amortization
Share-based compensation expense
Provision for deferred income taxes

Changes in assets and liabilities (net of businesses acquired):

Receivables, net
Inventory
Prepaid expenses and other
Accounts payable
Accrued income taxes
Deferred revenue
Other accrued liabilities

Net cash provided by operating activities

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

Capital purchases
Capitalized software development costs
Purchases of investments
Maturities of investments
Purchase of other intangibles
Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

Net cash used in investing activities

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

Proceeds from sale of future receivables
Proceeds from revolving line of credit and long-term debt
Repayment of revolving line of credit and long-term debt
Proceeds from excess tax benefits from stock compensation
Proceeds from exercise of options
Purchase of treasury stock

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

For the Years Ended
2009

2008

2010

  $  237,272    $  193,465    $  188,658 

193,337   
23,723   
30,362   

189,603   
15,786   
(4,141)  

170,466 
14,683 
(2,521)

(17,370)  
188   
35,378   
30,812   
(42,651)  
(24,618)  
(9,989)  
456,444   

(102,311)  
(80,979)  
(803,832)  
491,492   
(10,780)  
(14,486)  
(520,896)  

1,516  
-   
(27,625)  
26,226   
34,724   
-   
34,841   

2,399   
(27,212)  
241,723   

(46,599)  
290   
(26,350)  
(53,417)  
29,263   
28,127   
21,264   
347,291   

(131,265)  
(77,747)  
(266,776)  
97,481   
(12,485)  
(3,529)  
(394,321)  

1,888   
-   
(32,352)  
17,445   
29,789   
-   
16,770   

1,489   
(28,771)  
270,494   

(108,072)
(2,542)
(11,735)
2,320 
22,827 
8,345 
(627)
281,802 

(108,099)
(70,098)
(488,761)
506,271 
(4,201)
(5,719)
(170,607)

7,135 
44,500 
(59,817)
9,166 
15,364 
(28,002)
(11,654)

(11,961)
87,580 
182,914 

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

  $  214,511     $  241,723    $  270,494 

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information

Cash paid during the year for:

Interest
Income taxes, net of refund

Summary of acquisition transactions:

Fair value of tangible assets acquired
Fair value of intangible assets acquired
Fair value of goodwill acquired
Fair value of current liabilities assumed
Fair value of contingent liability payable

Cash paid for acquisition

Cash acquired

Net cash used

See notes to consolidated financial statements.

73

  $ 

6,887    $ 

121,737   

8,583    $ 
47,114   

10,512 
56,066 

  $ 

  $ 

2,126    $ 
5,076   
11,290   
(1,057)  
(1,725)  
15,710   
(1,224)  
14,486    $ 

-    $ 
-   
3,529   
-   
-   
3,529   
-  
3,529    $ 

- 
4,053 
1,253 
(1,306)
- 
4,000 
- 
4,000 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(1)   

Basis of Presentation, Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis	of	Presentation 

The consolidated financial statements include all the accounts of Cerner Corporation and its subsidiaries. All significant 
intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. 

The  consolidated  financial  statements  were  prepared  using  accounting  principles  generally  accepted  in  the  United 
States. These principles require us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets 
and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses. 
Actual results could differ from those estimates. 

Certain prior year amounts in the consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current 
year  presentation.  These  reclassifications  had  no  effect  on  the  results  of  operations  or  stockholders’  equity  as 
previously reported.

Our  fiscal  year  ends  on  the  Saturday  closest  to  December  31.  Fiscal  year  2010  consisted  of  52  weeks  and  ended 
on January 1, 2011; fiscal year 2009 consisted of 52 weeks and ended on January 2, 2010; and fiscal year 2008 
consisted of 53 weeks and ended on January 3, 2009. All references to years in these notes to consolidated financial 
statements represent fiscal years unless otherwise noted.

Nature	of	Operations	

We  design,  develop,  market,  install,  host  and  support  healthcare  information  technology,  healthcare  devices  and 
content solutions for healthcare organizations and consumers. We also provide a wide range of value-added services, 
including implementing solutions as individual,  combined or enterprise-wide systems; hosting solutions in our data 
center; and clinical process optimization services. Furthermore, we provide fully–automated on-site employer health 
clinics and third party administrator health plan services for employers. 

Summary	of	Significant	Accounting	Policies

(a)  Revenue Recognition – We recognize software related revenue in accordance with the provisions of ASC 985-605, 
Software – Revenue Recognition and non-software related revenue in accordance with ASC 605, Revenue Recognition. 
In general, revenue is recognized when all of the following criteria have been met:

g	

g	

g	

g	

	Pervasive evidence of an arrangement exists;
	Delivery has occurred and been accepted by the client;
	Our fee is fixed, determinable and,
	Collection of the revenue is probable

The following are our major components of revenue: 

g	

g	

g	

	System sales – includes the licensing of computer software, deployment period upgrades, installation, content 
subscriptions, transaction processing and the sale of computer hardware and sublicensed software;
	Support, Maintenance and Service – includes software support and hardware maintenance, remote hosting 
and managed services, training, consulting and implementation services; 
	Reimbursed Travel – includes reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses (primarily travel) incurred in connection 
with our client service activities.

We  provide  for  several  models  of  procurement  of  our  information  systems  and  related  services.  The  predominant 
model involves multiple deliverables and includes a perpetual software license agreement, project-related installation 
services, implementation and consulting services, software support and either hosting services or computer hardware 
and sublicensed software, which requires that we allocate revenue to each of these elements.

74

	
	
	
	
	
	
	
Allocation of Revenue to Multiple Element Arrangements

Revenue earned on software arrangements involving multiple-elements is generally required to be allocated to each 
element based on the relative fair values of those elements if fair values exist for all elements of the arrangement. 
Since we do not have vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE) of fair values on all the elements within our multiple 
element arrangements, we recognize revenue using the residual method.

Under the residual method, revenue is recognized in a multiple-element arrangement when vendor-specific objective 
evidence of fair value exists for all of the undelivered elements in the arrangement (i.e. professional services, software 
support,  hardware  maintenance,  remote  hosting  services,  hardware  and  sublicensed  software),  but  does  not  exist 
for one or more of the delivered elements in the arrangement (i.e. licenses for software solutions including project-
related  installation  services).  We  allocate  revenue  to  each  undelivered  element  in  a  multiple-element  arrangement 
based on the element’s respective fair value, with the fair value determined by the price charged when that element is 
sold separately. Specifically, we determine the fair value of the software support, hardware maintenance, sublicensed 
software support, remote hosting, subscriptions and application service provider (ASP) portions of the arrangement 
based on the substantive renewal price for these services charged to clients; professional services (including training 
and consulting) portion of the arrangement, other than installation services, based on hourly rates which we charge 
for these services when sold apart from a software license; and, the hardware and sublicensed software, based on 
the prices for these elements when they are sold separately from the software. The residual amount of the fee after 
allocating revenue to the fair value of the undelivered elements is attributed to the licenses for software solutions, 
including project-related installation services. If evidence of the fair value cannot be established for the undelivered 
elements of a license agreement, the entire amount of revenue under the arrangement is deferred until these elements 
have been delivered or objective evidence can be established. 

For certain arrangements, revenue for software, implementation services and, in certain cases, support services for 
which VSOE fair value cannot be established are accounted for as a single unit of accounting. The revenue recognized 
from these single units of accounting are typically allocated and classified as system sales and support, maintenance 
and services. If available, the VSOE fair value of the services provides the basis for support, maintenance and services 
allocation and the remaining residual consideration provides the basis for system sales revenue allocations. In cases 
where  VSOE  fair  value  of  the  services  cannot  be  established,  revenue  is  classified  based  on  the  nature  of  related 
costs incurred. The following table details these revenue classification allocations for these single units of accounting 
arrangements: 

(In millions)

System sales

Support, maintenance and services

2010

2009

2008

  $ 

  $ 

17.5

88.1

  $ 

  $ 

18.1

60.4

  $ 

  $ 

26.7

86.6

Revenue Recognition Models for Each Element

We provide project-related installation services when licensing our software solutions, which include project-scoping 
services, conducting pre-installation audits and creating initial environments. We have deemed installation services 
to  be  essential  to  the  functionality  of  the  software,  and  therefore  recognize  the  software  license  over  the  software 
installation period using the percentage of completion method. We measure the percentage of completion based on 
output measures which reflect direct labor hours incurred, beginning at software delivery and culminating at completion 
of installation. The installation services process length is dependent upon client specific factors and generally occurs 
in the same period the contracts are executed but can extend up to one year.

We  provide  implementation  and  consulting  services.  These  services  vary  depending  on  the  scope  and  complexity 
requested  by  the  client.  Examples  of  such  services  may  include  database  consulting,  system  configuration,  project 
management, testing assistance, network consulting, post conversion review and application management services. 
Except for limited arrangements where our software requires significant modifications or customization, implementation 
and consulting services generally are not deemed to be essential to the functionality of the software, and thus do not 
impact  the  timing  of  the  software  license  recognition.  However,  if  software  license  fees  are  tied  to  implementation 

75

 
milestones, then portion of the software license fee tied to implementation milestones is deferred until the related 
milestone is accomplished and related fees become billable and non-forfeitable. Implementation fees are recognized 
over the service period, which may extend from nine months to three years for multi-phased projects.

Remote hosting and managed services are marketed under long-term arrangements generally over periods of five to 10 
years. These services are typically provided to clients that have acquired a perpetual license for licensed software and 
have contracted with us to host the software in our data center. Under these arrangements, the client generally has the 
contractual right to take possession of the licensed software at any time during the hosting period without significant 
penalty and it is feasible for the client to either run the software on its own equipment or contract with another party 
unrelated to us to host the software. Additionally, these services are not deemed to be essential to the functionality 
of  the  licensed  software  or  other  elements  of  the  arrangement  and  as  such,  we  allocate  a  portion  of  the  services 
fee to the software and recognize it once the client has the ability to take possession of the software. The remaining 
services fee in these arrangements, as well as the services fees for arrangements where the client does not have the 
contractual right or the ability to take possession of the software at any time, are generally recognized ratably over the 
hosting service period.

We also offer our solutions on an ASP service model, making available time based licenses for our software functionality 
and providing the software solutions on a remote processing basis from our data centers. The data centers provide 
system and administrative support as well as processing services. Revenue on software and services provided on an 
ASP or term license basis is combined and recognized on a monthly basis over the term of the contract. We capitalize 
related direct costs consisting of third party costs and direct software installation and implementation costs associated 
with the initial set up of the client on the ASP service. These costs are amortized over the term of the arrangement.

Software support fees are marketed under annual and multi-year arrangements and are recognized as revenue ratably 
over the contracted support term. Hardware and sublicensed software maintenance revenues are recognized ratably 
over the contracted maintenance term.

Subscription and content fees are generally marketed under annual and multi-year agreements and are recognized 
ratably over the contracted terms.

Hardware and sublicensed software sales are generally recognized when delivered to the client, assuming title and risk 
of loss have transferred to the client.

Where  we  have  contractually  agreed  to  develop  new  or  customized  software  code  for  a  client  as  a  single  element 
arrangement, we utilize percentage of completion accounting, labor-hours method. 

Payment Arrangements

Our payment arrangements with clients typically include an initial payment due upon contract signing and date-based 
licensed software payment terms and payments based upon delivery for services, hardware and sublicensed software. 
Revenue recognition on support payments received in advance of the services being performed are deferred and classified 
as either current or long term deferred revenue depending on whether the revenue will be earned within one year. 

We have periodically provided long-term financing options to creditworthy clients through third party financing institutions 
and  have  directly  provided  extended  payment  terms  to  clients  from  contract  date.  These  extended  payment  term 
arrangements typically provide for date based payments over periods ranging from 12 months up to seven years. As a 
significant portion of the fee is due beyond one year, we have analyzed our history with these types of arrangements 
and have concluded that we have a standard business practice of using extended payment term arrangements and a 
long history of successfully collecting under the original payment terms for arrangements with similar clients, product 
offerings, and economics without granting concessions. Accordingly, we consider the fee to be fixed and determinable 
in these extended payment term arrangements and, thus, the timing of revenue is not impacted by the existence of 
extended payments.

Some of these payment streams have been assigned on a non-recourse basis to third party financing institutions. We 
account for the assignment of these receivables as sales. Provided all revenue recognition criteria have been met, we 
recognize revenue for these arrangements under our normal revenue recognition criteria, and if appropriate, net of any 
payment discounts from financing transactions. 

76

NHS Initiative

In  England,  we  have  contracted  with  third  parties  to  customize  software  and  provide  implementation  and  support 
services  under  long  term  arrangements  (nine  years).  Prior  to  2008  we  accounted  for  the  arrangements  as  single 
units  of  accounting  because  the  arrangements  require  customization  and  development  of  software,  and  fair  value 
for the support services had not been established. Also prior to 2008 we believed it was reasonably assured that no 
loss  would  be  incurred  under  these  arrangements  and  therefore  we  utilized  the  zero  margin  approach  of  applying 
percentage-of-completion accounting. 

During  2008  we  established  fair  value  of  the  undelivered  elements  of  the  arrangement  that  are  not  subject  to 
percentage  of  completion  accounting.    Also,  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  2008  we  realized  a  significant  milestone 
in London which significantly enhances our ability to reliably estimate work effort for the remainder of the contract 
and estimate a minimum level of profit on the arrangement.  These events, combined with our experience since the 
contract signed in 2006 and the experience gained in the South, allowed us to conclude that reasonably dependable 
work effort estimates could be produced and allow for margin recognition. 

As a result, our 2008 revenues included a cumulative catch-up adjustment, resulting from the significant change in 
accounting  estimate,  in  the  amount  of  $28.6  million  which  represents  the  margin  on  the  contract  which  had  been 
previously deferred as a result of the zero margin approach of applying percentage of completion accounting. Greater 
than a majority of the catch-up adjustment revenue was included in support, maintenance and services. The remaining 
margin attributed to the services subject to percentage completion accounting will be recognized over the remaining 
service  period  until  the  services  are  complete  and  amounts  allocated  to  the  other  support  services  not  subject  to 
percentage completion accounting will be recognized over the relevant support periods. The contract expires in 2014.

(b)  Cash Equivalents – Cash equivalents consist of short-term marketable securities with original maturities less than 
90 days. 

(c)  Investments  –  Investment  securities  which  we  have  the  ability  and  intent  to  hold  until  maturity  are  classified 
as held-to-maturity investments and are stated at amortized cost. Investment securities which are bought and held 
principally for the purpose of selling them in the near term are classified as trading securities and are stated at fair 
market value with changes recorded through earnings.

Our  short-term  investments  are  primarily  invested  in  time  deposits,  commercial  paper,  government  and  corporate 
bonds.  Our  long-term  investments  are  primarily  invested  in  government  and  corporate  bonds.  All  of  our  short-term 
and  long-term  investments  are  classified  as  held-to-maturity  securities  and  stated  at  their  amortized  cost  which 
approximates fair value. 

Premiums are amortized and discounts are accreted over the life of the security as adjustments to interest income 
using the effective interest method. Interest income is recognized when earned. 

Refer to Note (3) and Note (4) for a comprehensive description of these assets and their value. 

(d)  Concentrations – Substantially all of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments are held at four 
major financial institutions. The majority of our cash equivalents consist of money market funds. Deposits held with 
banks may exceed the amount of insurance provided on such deposits. Generally these deposits may be redeemed 
upon demand and, therefore, bear minimal risk. 

Substantially  all  of  our  clients  are  integrated  delivery  networks,  physicians,  hospitals  and  other  healthcare  related 
organizations.  If  significant  adverse  macro-economic  factors  were  to  impact  these  organizations  it  could  materially 
adversely  affect  us.  Our  access  to  certain  software  and  hardware  components  is  dependent  upon  single  and  sole 
source suppliers. The inability of any supplier to fulfill our supply requirements could affect future results.

As of the end of 2010, we had significant concentration of receivables owed to us by Fujitsu Services Limited, which 
are currently in dispute. Refer to Note (5) for additional information. 

77

(e)  Inventory – Inventory consists primarily of computer hardware, sublicensed software held for resale and RxStation 
medication dispensing units. Inventory is recorded at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or market.

(f)  Property and Equipment – Property, equipment and leasehold improvements are stated at cost. Depreciation of 
property and equipment is computed using the straight-line method over periods of two to 50 years. Amortization of 
leasehold improvements is computed using a straight-line method over the shorter of the lease terms or the useful 
lives, which range from periods of two to 15 years.

(g)  Software  Development  Costs  –  Software  development  costs  are  accounted  for  in  accordance  with  ASC  985-
20,  Costs  of  Software  to  be  Sold,  Leased  or  Marketed.  Software  development  costs  incurred  internally  in  creating 
computer software products are expensed until technological feasibility has been established upon completion of a 
detailed program design. Thereafter, all software development costs incurred through the software’s general release 
date  are  capitalized  and  subsequently  reported  at  the  lower  of  amortized  cost  or  net  realizable  value.  Capitalized 
costs are amortized based on current and expected future revenue for each software solution with minimum annual 
amortization equal to the straight-line amortization over the estimated economic life of the solution. 

(h)  Goodwill  and  Other  Intangible  Assets  –  We  account  for  goodwill  under  the  provisions  of  ASC  350, 
Intangibles  –  Goodwill  and  Other.  Goodwill  and  intangible  assets  with  indefinite  lives  are  not  amortized  but  are 
evaluated for impairment annually or whenever there is an impairment indicator. Based on these evaluations, there 
was no impairment of goodwill in 2010, 2009 or 2008. Refer to Note (7) for more information of Goodwill and other  
intangible assets. 

(i)  Contingencies – We accrue estimates for resolution of any legal and other contingencies when losses are probable 
and estimable, in accordance with ASC 450, Contingencies. We currently have no material pending litigation.

The  terms  of  our  software  license  agreements  with  our  clients  generally  provide  for  a  limited  indemnification  of 
such  intellectual  property  against  losses,  expenses  and  liabilities  arising  from  third  party  claims  based  on  alleged 
infringement by our solutions of an intellectual property right of such third party. The terms of such indemnification 
often limit the scope of and remedies for such indemnification obligations and generally include a right to replace or 
modify an infringing solution. To date, we have not had to reimburse any of our clients for any losses related to these 
indemnification  provisions  pertaining  to  third  party  intellectual  property  infringement  claims.  For  several  reasons, 
including  the  lack  of  prior  indemnification  claims  and  the  lack  of  a  monetary  liability  limit  for  certain  infringement 
cases under the terms of the corresponding agreements with our clients, we cannot determine the maximum amount 
of potential future payments, if any, related to such indemnification provisions.

From time to time we are involved in routine litigation incidental to the conduct of our business, including for example, 
employment disputes and litigation alleging solution defects, intellectual property infringement, violations of law and 
breaches of contract and warranties. We believe that no such routine litigation currently pending against us, if adversely 
determined,  would  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our  consolidated  financial  position,  results  of  operations  or  
cash flows.

(j)  Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities – Historically, our use of hedging instruments has primarily been 
to hedge foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities. We record all hedging instruments on our Consolidated 
Balance  Sheet  at  fair  value.  For  hedging  instruments  that  are  designated  and  qualify  as  a  net  investment  hedge, 
the  effective  portion  of  the  gain  or  loss  on  the  hedging  instrument  is  reported  in  the  foreign  currency  translation 
component of other comprehensive income (loss). Any ineffective portion of the gain or loss on the hedging instrument 
for a cash flow hedge or net investment hedge is recorded in the results of operations immediately. Refer to Note (10) 
for more information on our hedging activities.

(k)  Income Taxes - Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to 
differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax 
bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income 
in  the  years  in  which  those  temporary  differences  are  expected  to  be  recovered  or  settled.  Refer  to  Note  (12)  for 
additional information regarding income taxes.

78

(l)  Earnings per Common Share – Basic earnings per share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed, in accordance 
with  ASC  260,  Earnings  Per  Share,  by  dividing  income  available  to  common  shareholders  by  the  weighted-average 
number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur if 
securities or other contracts to issue stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance 
of common stock that then shared in our earnings. Refer to Note (13) for additional details of our earnings per share 
computations. 

(m)  Accounting  for  Share-based  payments  –  We  recognize  all  share-based  payments  to  associates,  directors  and 
consultants, including grants of stock options, restricted stock and performance shares, in the financial statements as 
compensation cost based on their fair value on the date of grant, in accordance with ASC 718, Stock Compensation. 
This compensation cost is recognized over the vesting period on a straight-line basis for the fair value of awards that 
actually vest. Refer to Note (14) for a detailed discussion of share-based payments.

(n)  Foreign Currency – Assets and liabilities of non-U.S. subsidiaries whose functional currency is the local currency 
are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are 
translated at average exchange rates during the year. The net exchange differences resulting from these translations are 
reported in accumulated other comprehensive income. Gains and losses resulting from foreign currency transactions 
are  included  in  the  consolidated  statements  of  operations.  Refer  to  Note  (10)  for  additional  details  of  our  foreign 
currency transactions.

(o)  Collaborative Arrangements – In accordance with ASC 808, Collaborative Arrangements, third party costs incurred 
and  revenues  generated  by  arrangements  involving  joint  operating  activities  of  two  or  more  parties  that  are  each 
actively involved and exposed to risks and rewards of the activities are classified in the consolidated statements of 
operations on a gross basis only if we are determined to be the principal participant in the arrangement. Otherwise, 
third  party  revenues  and  costs  generated  by  collaborative  arrangements  are  presented  on  a  net  basis.  Payments 
between participants are recorded and classified based on the nature of the payments.

(p)  Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In January 2010 we adopted guidance issued by the FASB on transfers of financial assets, which among other things, 
created more stringent conditions for reporting a transfer of a portion of a financial asset as a sale. The adoption did 
not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

In  January  2010,  we  adopted  guidance  issued  by  the  FASB  improving  disclosures  about  fair  value  measurements, 
which requires disclosures of transfers into and out of Levels 1 and 2, more detailed roll forward reconciliations of 
Level 3 recurring fair value measurements on a gross basis, fair value information by class of assets and liabilities, and 
descriptions of valuation techniques and inputs for Level 2 and 3 measurements. We adopted the guidance during the 
first quarter 2010, which did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

On February 24, 2010, FASB issued guidance to eliminate contradictions between the requirements of U.S. GAAP and 
the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) filing rules. The amendments also discharge the requirement that 
public companies disclose the date of their financial statements in both issued and revised financial statements. The 
guidance was effective upon issuance and did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

In  July  2010,  the  FASB  issued  guidance  to  require  increased  disclosures  about  the  credit  quality  of  financing 
receivables and allowances for credit losses, including disclosure about credit quality indicators, past due information 
and modifications of financing receivables. Trade accounts receivable with maturities of one year or less are excluded 
from the disclosure requirements. We adopted the guidance for the period ended 2010, which did not have a material 
impact on our consolidated financial statements. 

79

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

During 2009, the FASB issued guidance on revenue recognition for non-software elements that became effective for us 
beginning on January 2, 2011. Under the new guidance an entity is required to apply the relative selling price allocation 
method in order to estimate selling price for all units of accounting, including delivered items, when vendor-specific 
objective evidence (VSOE) or acceptable third party evidence (TPE) does not exist. In addition, expanded disclosures 
are required to provide both qualitative and quantitative information about the significant judgments made in applying 
the  guidance  and  subsequent  changes  in  those  judgments  that  may  significantly  affect  the  timing  or  amount  of 
revenue recognition. Further, for arrangements that include software elements, tangible products that have software 
components that are essential to the functionality of the tangible product will no longer be within the scope of the 
software revenue recognition guidance, and software-enabled products will now be subject to other relevant revenue 
recognition guidance. The guidance is effective for revenue arrangements entered into or materially modified in fiscal 
years beginning on or after June 15, 2010 and shall be applied on a prospective basis. We do not believe the adoption 
of the new guidance will have a material impact on our financial position and results of operations. 

(2)   

Business Acquisitions 

IMC Health Care, Inc.

On  January  4,  2010,  we  completed  the  purchase  of  100%  of  the  outstanding  common  shares  of  IMC  Health  Care, 
Inc. (IMC), a provider of employer sponsored on-site health centers. The acquisition of IMC expanded our employer 
health  initiatives,  such  as  on-site  employer  health  centers,  occupational  health  services  and  wellness  programs. 
Consideration  for  this  transaction  was  $15.7  million  in  cash  plus  additional  contingent  consideration.  We  initially 
valued the contingent consideration at $1.7 million based on a probability-weighted assessment of potential contingent 
consideration payment scenarios ranging up to $2.5 million. Based on a final assessment of the contingent liability 
at the end of 2010, we reduced the contingent consideration liability to $0.9 million and recognized a gain of $0.8 
million within the Consolidated Statements of Operations as a component of general and administrative expenses. The 
allocation of the purchase price to the estimated fair values of the identified tangible and intangible assets acquired, 
net of liabilities assumed, is summarized below: 

(In thousands)

Allocation Amount

  $ 

Tangible assets and liabilities

Current assets

Property and equipment

Current liabilities

Total net tangible assets acquired

Intangible assets

Customer relationships

Non-compete agreements

Total intangible assets acquired

Goodwill

Total purchase price

  $ 

1,862

264

(1,057)

1,069

4,073

1,003

5,076

11,290

17,435

The  fair  values  of  the  acquired  intangible  assets  and  the  contingent  consideration  were  estimated  by  applying  the 
income approach. Such estimations required the use of inputs that were unobservable in the market place (Level 3), 
including a discount rate that we estimated would be used by a market participant in valuing these assets, projections 
of revenues and cash flows, probability weighting factors and client attrition rates. See Note (4) for further information 
about the fair value level hierarchy. 

The goodwill was allocated to our Domestic operating segment and is expected to be deductible for tax purposes. The 
other identifiable intangible assets are being amortized over five years. The operating results of IMC were combined 
with our operating results subsequent to the purchase date of January 4, 2010. Pro-forma results of operations have 
not been presented because the effect of this acquisition was not material to our results. 

80

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LingoLogix, Inc.

On August 1, 2008, we completed the purchase of LingoLogix, Inc. (LingoLogix), for $4.0 million in cash. LingoLogix 
was a provider of software used for computer automated coding technology. The acquisition of LingoLogix enhanced 
our revenue cycling offerings as the solutions can be used in both inpatient and outpatient environments to improve 
physician workflow and drive more accurate and efficient reimbursement through automated coding. The operating 
results of LingoLogix were combined with our operating results subsequent to the purchase date of August 1, 2008. The 
allocation of the purchase price to the estimated fair values of the identified tangible and intangible assets acquired 
and liabilities assumed resulted in goodwill of $1.3 million and $4.1 million in intangible assets, which consisted of 
$3.6 million in developed technology. Total assets and liabilities at the date of acquisition were $5.3 million and $1.3 
million, respectively.

The goodwill was allocated to our Domestic operating segment. The intangible assets are being amortized over 5 years. 
Pro-forma results of operations have not been presented because the effect of this acquisition was not material to our 
results.

(3)   

Cash and Investments

Our cash, cash equivalents and investment securities consisted of the following:

(In thousands)

Cash and cash equivalents:

Cash

Money market funds

Time deposits

Corporate bonds

2010

2009

   $ 

170,274

   $  144,764 

 44,237 

- 

- 

 80,242 

 8,523 

 8,194 

Total cash and cash equivalents

   $ 

214,511 

   $  241,723 

Short-term investments

Time deposits

Commercial paper

Government and corporate bonds

Auction rate securities

Put-like feature

   $ 

41,764 

   $ 

37,784 

44,500 

251,787 

18,450 

- 

 19,987 

 164,792 

 85,203 

 9,347 

Total short-term investments

   $ 

356,501 

   $ 

317,113 

Long-term investments

Government and corporate bonds

Total long-term investments

   $ 

264,467 

   $ 

264,467 

   $ 

   $ 

- 

- 

All of our short-term and long-term investments are classified as held-to-maturity securities and stated at their amortized 
cost which approximates fair value, except for our auction rate securities, which are classified as trading and stated at 
fair value. Subsequent to the year-ended 2010, in January 2011, all outstanding auction rate securities were called by 
the issuer at par value. Refer to Note (4) for details of the fair value measurements within the fair value hierarchy of 
these financial assets.

Auction rate securities are debt instruments with long-term nominal maturities, for which the interest rates regularly 
reset every 7-35 days under an auction system. Because auction rate securities historically re-priced frequently, they 
traded  in  the  market  on  a  par-in,  par-out  basis.  In  periods  prior  to  2008,  we  regularly  liquidated  our  investments 
in  these  securities  for  reasons  including,  among  others,  changes  in  the  market  interest  rates  and  changes  in  the 
availability  of,  and  the  yield  on,  alternative  investments.  Beginning  in  February  2008,  liquidity  issues  in  the  global 
credit markets resulted in the progressive failure of auctions representing all of the auction rate securities we hold, 
because  the  amount  of  securities  submitted  for  sale  in  those  auctions  exceeded  the  amount  of  bids.  However,  we 
continued to collect all interest receivable on our auction rate securities when due.

81

In August 2008, our broker agreed to a settlement in principle with the SEC, the New York Attorney General and other 
regulatory agencies to restore liquidity to clients who hold auction rate securities. During the fourth quarter of 2008, 
we entered into a settlement agreement (the Settlement Agreement) with the investment firm that sold us the auction 
rate securities. Under the terms of the Settlement Agreement, we received the right to redeem the securities at par 
during a period from mid-2010 through mid-2012. 

In  conjunction  with  the  execution  of  the  Settlement  Agreement,  we  transferred  the  auction  rate  securities  from 
available-for-sale to trading securities. At the end of 2010, we held auction rate securities with a par value of $18.5 
million, which approximated fair value, as all outstanding auction rate securities were subsequently called at par value 
by the issuer in January 2011.

The Settlement Agreement had been accounted for as a put-like feature and was carried at fair value with changes 
recorded through earnings. We valued the put-like feature as the difference between the par value of the auction rate 
securities and the fair value of the securities, discounted by the credit risk of the broker. The loan option was also 
valued taking into account the settlement discount and credit risk during the time necessary to administer the loan. 
Based on the fair value assessment of the auction rate securities at the end of 2010, we valued the put-like feature 
at zero.

The changes in fair value of the auction rate securities and put-like feature resulted in offsetting gains and losses of 
$9.3 million, $10.5 million and $19.9 million in 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively, within other income within the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations.

We  regularly  review  investment  securities  for  impairment  based  on  both  quantitative  and  qualitative  criteria  that 
include the extent to which cost exceeds fair value, the duration of any market decline, our intent and ability to hold to 
maturity or until forecasted recovery, and the financial health of and specific prospects for the issuer. Unrealized losses 
that are other than temporary are recognized in earnings. 

(4)   

Fair Value Measurements

We determine fair value measurements used in our consolidated financial statements based upon the price that would 
be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the 
measurement date. The fair value hierarchy distinguishes between (1) market participant assumptions developed based 
on market data obtained from independent sources (observable inputs) and (2) an entity’s own assumptions about 
market participant assumptions developed based on the best information available in the circumstances (unobservable 
inputs). The fair value hierarchy consists of three broad levels, which gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted 
prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 
3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below: 

g	

g	

g	

	Level 1 – Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the entity 
has the ability to access.
	Level 2 – Valuations based on quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are 
not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable data for substantially the 
full term of the assets or liabilities.
	Level 3 – Valuations based on inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant 
to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

82

	
	
	
The following table details our financial assets measured at fair value within the fair value hierarchy at the end of 2010:

(In thousands)

Description

Balance Sheet 
Classification

Fair Value Measurements Using

Fair Value Measurements Using

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

2010

2009

Money market funds

Cash equivalents

   $  44,237 

   $ 

- 

   $ 

- 

   $  80,242 

   $ 

- 

   $ 

Time deposits

Cash equivalents

Corporate bonds

Cash equivalents

Time deposits

Short-term investments

Commercial paper

Short-term investments

Government and 
     corporate bonds

Short-term investments

Auction rate securities Short-term investments

Put-like feature

Short-term investments

Government and  
     corporate bonds

Long-term investments

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

41,764

44,500

251,787

18,450

 - 

264,467

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 8,523 

 8,194 

 37,784 

 19,987 

 164,792 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 85,203 

 9,347 

 - 

- 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

Refer to Note (3) for a comprehensive description of these assets. Our auction rate securities have historically been 
classified  as  Level  3  assets  within  the  fair  value  hierarchy,  as  their  valuation  required  substantial  judgment  and 
estimation of factors that were not currently observable in the market due to the lack of trading in the securities. At the 
end of 2010, we transferred our auction rate securities classified as Level 3 to Level 2 based on observable inputs, as 
all outstanding auction rate securities were subsequently called at par value by the issuer in January 2011.

The  table  below  presents  the  activity  of  our  assets  measured  at  fair  value  on  a  recurring  basis  using  significant 
unobservable inputs (Level 3) for the years ended 2010 and 2009: 

(In thousands)

Beginning balance

Redemptions at par

Unrealized gain (loss) on auction rate securities included in earnings

Unrealized gain (loss) on put-like feature included in earnings

Transfers out of Level 3 to Level 2

Ending balance

(5)   

Receivables

2010

2009

  $ 

94,550

  $  105,300

(76,100)

9,346

(9,346)

(18,450)

(10,750)

10,513 

(10,513)

-

  $ 

-

  $ 

94,550 

Receivables  consist  of  accounts  receivable  and  contracts  receivable.  Accounts  receivable  represent  recorded 
revenues  that  have  been  billed.  Contracts  receivable  represent  recorded  revenues  that  are  billable  by  us  at  future 
dates under the terms of a contract with a client. Billings and other consideration received on contracts in excess of 
related revenues recognized are recorded as deferred revenue. Substantially all receivables are derived from sales and 
related support and maintenance and professional services of our clinical, administrative and financial information 
systems and solutions to healthcare providers located throughout the United States and in certain non-U.S. countries. 

We  perform  ongoing  credit  evaluations  of  our  clients  and  generally  do  not  require  collateral  from  our  clients.  We 
provide an allowance for estimated uncollectible accounts based on specific identification, historical experience and 
our  judgment.  Provisions  for  losses  on  uncollectible  accounts  for  2010,  2009  and  2008  totaled  $9.9  million,  $3.1 
million and $10.0 million, respectively. 

83

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A summary of receivables, net is as follows:

(In thousands)

2010

2009

Gross accounts receivable

   $  352,554 

   $ 

342,992 

Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts

Accounts receivable, net of allowance

Contracts receivable

Total receivables, net

15,550

337,004

139,901

 16,895 

 326,097 

 135,314 

  $ 

476,905 

  $ 

461,411 

During the second quarter of 2008, Fujitsu Services Limited’s (Fujitsu) contract as the prime contractor in the National 
Health Service (NHS) initiative to automate clinical processes and digitize medical records in the Southern region of 
England was terminated by the NHS. This had the effect of automatically terminating our subcontract for the project. 
We  are  in  dispute  with  Fujitsu  regarding  Fujitsu’s  obligation  to  pay  the  amounts  comprised  of  accounts  receivable 
and contracts receivable related to that subcontract, and we are working with Fujitsu to resolve these issues based 
on processes provided for in the contract. Part of that process requires resolution of disputes between Fujitsu and 
the NHS regarding the contract termination. During the 2009 fourth quarter certain events occurred in the resolution 
process between Fujitsu and the NHS which reduced the likelihood the matter will be resolved in the next 12 months. 
Therefore  we  reclassified  the  receivables,  which  represented  more  than  10%  of  our  net  receivables,  from  current 
assets to other long term assets during the 2009 fourth quarter. The circumstances surrounding these receivables 
remained unchanged at the end of 2010 and represent the significant majority of other long-term assets at the end of 
2010 and 2009. While the ultimate collectability of the receivables pursuant to this process is uncertain, management 
believes that it has valid and equitable grounds for recovery of such amounts and that collection of recorded amounts 
is probable. 

During 2010 and 2009, we received total client cash collections of $1.9 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively, of which 
$66.6 million and $54.0 million were received from third party arrangements with non-recourse payment assignments.

(6)   

Property and Equipment

A summary of property, equipment and leasehold improvements stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and 
amortization, is as follows:

(In thousands)

Furniture and fixtures

Computer and communications equipment

Leasehold improvements

Capital lease equipment

Land, buildings and improvements

Other equipment

Depreciable Lives (Yrs)

2010

2009

5

2

2

3

12

5

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

 - 

12

5

15

5

50

20

$ 

57,763 

$ 

56,631 

660,741

164,498

5,914

195,193

564

 585,685 

 139,331 

 17,147 

 204,080 

 964 

1,084,673

 1,003,838 

Less accumulated depreciation and amortization

585,844

 494,660 

Total property and equipment, net

$ 

498,829 

$ 

509,178 

Depreciation expense for 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $111.4 million, $104.6 million and $96.7 million, respectively.

84

  
  
 
 
(7)   

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill  and  intangible  assets  with  indefinite  lives  are  tested  for  impairment  annually  or  whenever  there  is  an 
impairment indicator. All goodwill is assigned to a reporting unit, where it is subject to an impairment test based on 
fair value using Level 3 inputs as defined in the fair value hierarchy. Refer to Note (4) - Fair Value Measurements for 
the definition of the levels in the fair value hierarchy. The inputs used to calculate the fair value included the projected 
cash flows and discount rates that we estimated would be used by a market participant in valuing these assets. Our 
most recent annual test of goodwill impairment indicated that goodwill was not impaired. The fair values of each of our 
reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts by a significant margin. 

The changes in the carrying amounts of goodwill were as follows:

(In thousands)

Beginning Balance

Goodwill acquired and earnout payments for prior acquisitions

Foreign currency translation adjustment and other

Ending Balance

2010

2009

  $  151,479

  $  146,666

11,290

(1,395)

3,425

1,388

  $  161,374

  $  151,479

Our intangible assets, other than goodwill or intangible assets with indefinite lives, are all subject to amortization, are 
amortized on a straight-line basis, and are summarized as follows:

(In thousands)

Purchased software

Customer lists

Patents

Non-compete agreements

Total

Weighted-Average
Amortization 
Period (Yrs)

2010

2009

Gross Carrying
Amount

Accumulated 
Amortization

Gross Carrying
Amount

Accumulated 
Amortization

5.0

5.0

16.0

5.0

6.1

$  70,864 

$  48,085 

$  84,968 

$  62,802 

59,556 

9,128 

4,491 

 54,241 

2,365 

880 

 55,606 

 8,184 

 1,057 

 50,960 

 1,729 

 605 

$  144,039 

$  105,571 

$  149,815 

$  116,096 

Amortization expense for 2010, 2009 and 2008 was $12.0 million, $20.4 million and $20.0 million, respectively.

Estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the next five years is as follows:

(In thousands)

For year ended:

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

$ 

10,535 

7,230 

5,309

 3,795 

 1,640 

85

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(8)   

Software Development Costs

Information regarding our software development costs is included in the following table:

(In thousands)

For the Years Ended

2010

2009

2008

Software development costs

Capitalized software development costs

Amortization of capitalized software development costs

  $  284,836   $  285,187   $  291,368 

(80,979)  

(77,747)  

(69,981)

68,994  

63,611  

51,132

Total software development expense

  $  272,851   $  271,051   $  272,519

We are amortizing capitalized costs over five years. Accumulated amortization as of the end of 2010 and 2009 was 
$543.2 million and $474.3 million, respectively. 

(9)   

Indebtedness

The following is a summary of indebtedness outstanding:

(In thousands)

2010

2009

Note agreement, 5.54%

Senior Notes, Series B, 6.42%

Other obligations

Less: current portion

$ 

72,438

$ 

90,090

19,500

822

92,760

(24,837)

29,250

1,180

120,520

(25,014)

$ 

67,923

$ 

95,506

In November 2005, we completed a £65.0 million private placement of debt at 5.54% pursuant to a Note Agreement. 
The Note Agreement is payable in seven equal annual installments, which commenced November 2009. The proceeds 
were  used  to  repay  the  outstanding  amount  under  our  credit  facility  and  for  general  corporate  purposes.  The  Note 
Agreement contains certain net worth and fixed charge coverage covenants and provides certain restrictions on our 
ability to borrow, incur liens, sell assets and pay dividends. We were in compliance with all covenants at the end of 2010.

In December 2002, we completed a $60.0 million private placement of debt pursuant to a Note Agreement. The Series 
A Senior Notes, with a $21.0 million principal amount at 5.57% were paid in full in 2008. The Series B Senior Notes, 
with  a  $39.0  million  principal  amount  at  6.42%,  are  payable  in  four  equal  annual  installments,  which  commenced 
December 2009. The proceeds were used to repay the outstanding amount under our credit facility and for general 
corporate purposes. The Note Agreement contains certain net worth and fixed charge coverage covenants and provides 
certain restrictions on our ability to borrow, incur liens, sell assets and pay dividends. We were in compliance with all 
covenants at the end of 2010. 

We maintain a $90 million, multi-year revolving credit facility, which provides an unsecured revolving line of credit for 
working capital purposes. Interest is payable at a rate based on prime or LIBOR plus a spread that varies depending 
on the net worth ratios maintained. The agreement provides certain restrictions on our ability to borrow, incur liens, 
sell assets and pay dividends and contains certain net worth, current ratio and fixed charge coverage covenants, which 
as of the end of 2010, we were in compliance with. The current agreement expires on May 31, 2013. As of the end of 
2010, we had no outstanding borrowings under this agreement; however, we have $13.6 million of outstanding letters 
of credit, which reduced our available borrowing capacity to $76.4 million. 

We also have capital lease obligations amounting to $0.2 million, payable over the next two years.

86

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The aggregate maturities for our long-term debt, including capital lease obligations, are as follows (In thousands):

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

$ 

24,837 

24,459

14,488

14,488

14,488 

Total maturities

$ 

92,760 

We estimate the fair value of our long-term, fixed-rate debt using a level 3 discounted cash flow analysis based on our 
current borrowing rates for debt with similar maturities. The fair value of our long-term debt was approximately $99.6 
million and $124.8 million at the end of 2010 and 2009, respectively.

(10)  

Hedging Activities

We designated all of our Great Britain Pound (GBP) denominated long-term debt as a net investment hedge of our U.K. 
operations. The objective of the hedge is to reduce our foreign currency exposure in our U.K. subsidiary investment. 
Changes in the exchange rate between the United States Dollar (USD) and GBP, related to the notional amount of the 
hedge, are recognized as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), to the extent the hedge is effective. The 
following table represents the fair value of the net investment hedge included within the Consolidated Balance Sheet 
and  the  unrealized  gain  (loss),  net  of  related  income  tax  effects,  on  the  net  investment  hedge  recognized  in  other 
comprehensive income (loss): 

(In thousands)

Derivatives designated

Net investment hedge

Net investment hedge

Total net investment hedge

(In thousands) 

Derivatives designated

Net investment hedge

Net investment hedge

Total net investment hedge

Balance Sheet 
Classification

Fair Value

 Short-term liabilities 

$ 

14,488 

 Long-term liabilities 

57,950 

$ 

72,438 

2010

2009

Net Unrealized  
Gain (Loss)

$ 

$ 

445

1,416

1,861

Balance Sheet 
Classification

Fair Value

 Short-term liabilities 

$ 

15,015 

 Long-term liabilities 

75,075 

$ 

90,090 

Net Unrealized  
Gain (Loss)

$ 

$ 

(1,192)

(5,543)

(6,735)

We recognize foreign currency transaction gains and losses within the Consolidated Statements of Operations as a 
component of general and administrative expenses. We realized a foreign currency loss of $0.9 million in 2010 and 
foreign currency gains of $4.0 million and $9.9 million in 2009 and 2008, respectively.

(11)  

Interest Income

A summary of interest income and expense is as follows:

(In thousands)

Interest income

Interest expense

Interest income, net

For the Years Ended

2010

2009

2008

10,347  

$ 

8,801  

$ 

 (6,908)

 (8,493)

13,604 

 (10,548)

3,439  

$ 

308    $ 

3,056 

$ 

$ 

87

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(12)  

Income Taxes

Income tax expense (benefit) for 2010, 2009 and 2008 consists of the following:

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

For the Years Ended

Current:

Federal

State

Foreign

Total Current Expense

Deferred:

Federal

State

Foreign

Total deferred expense (benefit)

  $ 

85,106 

  $ 

90,992 

  $ 

68,466 

10,355  

(883)

8,350  

4,015  

94,578  

103,357  

22,297   

4,038   

4,027   

30,362   

(1,545)

845   

(3,441)

(4,141)

9,338 

9,789 

87,593 

10,873 

(1,105)

(4,588)

5,180 

Total income tax expense

  $ 

124,940   $ 

99,216 

  $ 

92,773 

Temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and tax basis of assets and liabilities that 
give rise to significant portions of deferred income taxes at the end of 2010 and 2009 relate to the following:

(In thousands)

Deferred tax assets

Accrued expenses

Separate return net operating losses

Share based compensation

Other

Total deferred tax assets

Deferred tax liabilities

Software development costs

Contract and service revenues and costs

Depreciation and amortization

Other

Total deferred tax liabilities

Net deferred tax liability

2010

2009

$ 

11,707

$ 

17,920 

15,882

23,514

482

51,585

(85,692)

(3,884)

(67,438)

(3,048)

23,403 

18,548 

814 

60,685 

(84,947)

(9,205)

(45,762)

(4,489)

(160,062)

(144,403)

$ 

(108,477)

$ 

(83,718)

At the end of 2010, we had net operating loss carry-forwards subject to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code for 
Federal income tax purposes of $9.4 million which are available to offset future Federal taxable income, if any, through 
2020. We had net operating loss carry-forwards from non-U.S. jurisdictions of $1.6 million which are available to offset 
future taxable income, if any, through 2015 and $39.0 million which are available to offset future taxable income, if 
any, with no expiration. We expect to fully realize all these losses in future periods.

88

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The effective income tax rates for 2010, 2009, and 2008 were 34%, 34%, and 33%, respectively. These effective rates 
differ from the Federal statutory rate of 35% as follows:

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

Tax expense at statutory rates

  $ 

126,744

  $ 

102,438 

  $ 

98,500 

For the Years Ended

State income tax, net of federal benefit

Prior period adjustments

Valuation allowance for deferred tax assets

Audit settlements

Tax credits

Unrecognized tax benefit

Permanent differences

Other, net

10,151

(541)

- 

- 

(10,568)

7,501

(4,629)

(3,718)

6,658 

2,310 

- 

- 

(5,150)

(5,581)

(1,200)

(259)

6,403 

(2,879)

(7,982)

4,412 

(5,150)

5,691 

(1,924)

(4,298)

Total income tax expense

  $ 

124,940

  $ 

99,216 

  $ 

92,773 

The 2010 beginning and ending amounts of accrued interest related to the underpayment of taxes was $0.1 million 
and $0.4 million, respectively. We classify interest and penalties as income tax expense in our consolidated statement 
of operations. No accrual for tax penalties was recorded at the end of the year.

The 2010 tax expense amount includes $0.5 million of tax benefits related to prior period foreign operating losses. 
The 2009 tax expense amount includes $2.3 million expense related to adjustments from prior period tax returns. 
The  2008  tax  expense  amount  includes  the  recognition  of  approximately  $2.9  million  of  tax  benefits  related  to  an 
adjustment of a foreign tax credit claimed. These differences accumulated over several years and the impact to any 
one of the prior periods is not material.

During 2008, we settled IRS examinations for the 2005 to 2006 periods and as a result reversed previously recorded 
reserves  for  tax  uncertainties  by  $1.3  million.  During  2009,  the  Internal  Revenue  Service  (IRS)  completed  its 
examination of the 2007 income tax return and refund claim related to the foreign tax credit for the 2004, 2005 and 
2006 income tax returns. We decreased the unrecognized tax benefits by $8.0 million primarily due to the settlement 
of the 2007 IRS audit.

During 2010, the Internal Revenue Service commenced its examination of the 2009 and 2008 income tax returns. We 
do not believe this examination will have a material effect on our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

As of the end of 2010, the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits, including interest, was $14.1 million. We do not 
expect to resolve any of these matters within the next 12 months.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax is presented below:

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

Unrecognized tax benefit - beginning balance

  $ 

6,599 

  $ 

12,440 

  $ 

8,069 

Gross decreases- tax positions in prior periods

Gross increases- in current-period tax positions

Settlements

-

7,501

-

(7,961)

2,379 

(259)

-

5,690 

(1,319)

Unrecognized tax benefit - ending balance

  $ 

14,100

  $ 

6,599 

  $ 

12,440 

89

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(13)  

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share (EPS) excludes dilution and is computed by dividing income available to common shareholders 
by  the  weighted-average  number  of  common  shares  outstanding  for  the  period.  Diluted  EPS  reflects  the  potential 
dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue stock were exercised or converted into common stock 
or resulted in the issuance of common stock that then shared in our earnings. A reconciliation of the numerators and 
the denominators of the basic and diluted per-share computations are as follows:

2010

2009

2008

Earnings 
(Numerator)

Shares 
(Denominator)

Per-Share 
Amount

Earnings 
(Numerator)

Shares 
(Denominator)

Per-Share 
Amount

Earnings 
(Numerator)

Shares 
(Denominator)

Per-Share 
Amount

(In thousands, except per 
share data)

Basic earnings per share:

Income available to 
common stockholders

Effect of dilutive securities:

  $  237,272 

 82,458    $  2.88 

  $  193,465 

 80,981    $  2.39    $  188,658 

 80,549    $  2.34 

Stock options

 2,966 

 2,901 

 - 

 2,886 

Diluted earnings per share:

Income available to 
common stockholders 
including assumed 
conversions

  $  237,272 

 85,424    $  2.78 

  $  193,465 

 83,882 

  $  2.31    $  188,658 

 83,435    $  2.26 

Options to purchase 0.6 million, 1.8 million and 2.3 million shares of common stock at per share prices ranging from 
$58.21 to $91.91, $38.64 to $136.86 and $33.63 to $136.86, were outstanding at the end of 2010, 2009 and 2008, 
respectively, but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because they were anti-dilutive. 

(14)  

Share Based Compensation and Equity

Stock Option and Equity Plans

As of the end of 2010, we had four fixed stock option and equity plans in effect for associates. This includes two plans 
from which we could issue grants, (Plans F & G); and two plans from which no new grants were permitted to be issued 
after January 1, 2005, but some awards remain outstanding, (Plans D & E). 

Under the 2001 Long-Term Incentive Plan F, we are authorized to grant to associates, directors and consultants 4.0 
million  shares  of  common  stock  awards.  Awards  under  this  plan  may  consist  of  stock  options,  restricted  stock  and 
performance shares, as well as other awards such as stock appreciation rights, phantom stock and performance unit 
awards which may be payable in the form of common stock or cash at our discretion. However, not more than 1.0 million 
of such shares will be available for granting any types of grants other than options or stock appreciation rights. Options 
under Plan F are exercisable at a price not less than fair market value on the date of grant as determined by the Section 
16 Insider Equity and Incentive Compensation Subcommittee (the Committee). Options under this plan typically vest 
over a period of five years as determined by the Committee and are exercisable for periods of up to 25 years.

Under the 2004 Long-Term Incentive Plan G, we are authorized to grant to associates and directors 4.0 million shares 
of  common  stock  awards.  Awards  under  this  plan  may  consist  of  stock  options,  restricted  stock  and  performance 
shares, as well as other awards such as stock appreciation rights, phantom stock and performance unit awards which 
may be payable in the form of common stock or cash at our discretion. Options under Plan G are exercisable at a price 
not less than fair market value on the date of grant as determined by the Committee. Options under this plan typically 
vest over a period of five years as determined by the Committee and are exercisable for periods of up to 12 years. In 
2007, Long-Term Incentive Plan G was amended to provide us the ability to recover fringe benefit tax payments made 
by us on behalf of our associates in India. 

90

Stock Options

The fair market value of each stock option award is estimated on the date of grant using a lattice option-pricing model. 
The pricing model requires the use of the following estimates and assumptions:

g	

g	

g	

	Expected volatilities under the lattice model are based on an equal weighting of implied volatilities from traded 
options on our shares and historical volatility. We use historical data to estimate the stock option exercise and 
associate departure behavior used in the lattice model; groups of associates (executives and non-executives) 
that have similar historical behavior are considered separately for valuation purposes. 
	The expected term of stock options granted is derived from the output of the lattice model and represents the 
period of time that stock options granted are expected to be outstanding; the range given below results from 
certain groups of associates exhibiting different post-vesting behaviors. 
	The risk-free rate is based on the zero-coupon U.S. Treasury bond with a term equal to the contractual term of 
the awards. 

The weighted-average assumptions used to estimate the fair market value of stock options are as follows:

(In thousands)

2010

2009

2008

Expected volatility (%)

39.0 - 41.7

45.2 - 51.5

45.9 - 52.4

Expected term (yrs)

Risk-free rate (%)

9.3 - 9.7

9.3 - 9.6

8.4 - 9.7

2.9

3.8

4.4

A combined summary of the stock option activity of our four fixed stock option and equity plans is presented below:

Options

2010

Number of 
Shares

Weighted-
Average 
Exercise Price

Aggregate Intrinsic 
Value

Weighted-Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Term

Outstanding at beginning of year

8,281,924 

  $ 

31.30 

Granted

Exercised

Forfeited and Expired

 705,495 

 (1,451,077)

 (160,037)

86.48 

23.93 

44.63 

Outstanding at end of year

 7,376,305 

  $ 

37.73 

  $  420,520,520 

Options exercisable at the end of the year

 4,785,823 

  $ 

26.18 

  $  328,092,174 

6.19 

5.21 

(In thousands, except for grant date fair value)

2010

2009

2008

Weighted-average grant date fair values

$ 

44.83 

$ 

27.96 

Total intrinsic value of options exercised

$  88,876 

$  63,465 

Cash received from exercise of stock options

$  34,724 

$  29,789 

Tax benefit realized upon exercise of stock options

$  33,802 

$  23,654 

$ 

$ 

$ 

$ 

22.99 

26,841 

15,364 

10,001 

For the Years Ended

As of the end of 2010, there was $54.2 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options 
granted under all plans. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 3.02 years.

91

	
	
	
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Non-vested Shares

Non-vested shares were valued at the fair market value on the date of grant and will vest provided the recipient has 
continuously served on the Board of Directors through such vesting date or in the case of an associate provided that 
performance measures are attained. The expense associated with these grants is being recognized over the period 
from the date of grant to the vesting date. 

On  June  1,  2010  we  granted  approximately  118,000  shares  of  performance-based  non-vested  stock  to  certain 
executive  officers,  pursuant  to  our  Long-Term  Incentive  Plan  F.  The  fair  value  of  each  of  these  awards  was  $81.90 
based on the closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. These awards will vest according to the following 
schedule, contingent upon a relative adjusted GAAP earnings growth percentage over 2009 for each respective year 
and subjective performance criteria for certain shares, as defined in the award agreements: 

Vesting Dates

June 1, 2011

June 1, 2012

June 1, 2013

Total Shares

Number of 
Shares

14,000

15,500

88,500

118,000

Subsequent  to  July  3,  2010,  approximately  21%  of  the  total  shares  related  to  this  award  were  forfeited  due  to  the 
resignation  of  an  executive  officer.  The  amount  of  compensation  expense  recognized  is  based  on  management’s 
estimate of the most likely outcome and will be reassessed at each reporting date through the final vesting date, which 
may  result  in  adjustments  to  compensation  cost.  Based  on  a  current  period  vesting  probability  assessment,  total 
compensation cost related to these awards is $7.6 million, net of forfeitures, and is expected to be recognized over a 
period of 3 years. 

A summary of our non-vested restricted stock compensation arrangements granted under all plans is presented below:

Nonvested shares

Outstanding at beginning of year

Granted

Vested

Forfeited

Outstanding at end of year

2010

Weighted-Average

Grant Date

Fair Value

$  56.52 

82.17 

56.52 

81.90 

$  82.24 

Number of Shares

13,500 

136,000 

(13,500)

(25,000)

111,000 

(In thousands, except for grant date fair value)

2010

2009

2008

Weighted average grant date fair values

Total fair value of shares vested during the year

$ 

$ 

82.24 

1,147 

$ 

$ 

56.52 

923 

$ 

$ 

45.91 

797 

For the Years Ended

As of the end of 2010, there was $6.6 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested share 
awards granted under all plans. That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.92 years. 

92

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
Associate Stock Purchase Plan 

We established an Associate Stock Purchase Plan (ASPP) in 2001, which qualifies under Section 423 of the Internal 
Revenue Code. Each individual employed by us and associates of our United States based subsidiaries, except as provided 
below, are eligible to participate in the Plan (Participants). The following individuals are excluded from participation: (a) 
persons who, as of the beginning of a purchase period under the Plan, have been continuously employed by us or our 
domestic subsidiaries for less than two weeks; (b) persons who, as of the beginning of a purchase period, own directly 
or indirectly, or hold options or rights to acquire under any agreement or Company plan, an aggregate of 5% or more 
of the total combined voting power or value of all outstanding shares of all classes of Company Common Stock; and, 
(c) persons who are customarily employed by us for less than 20 hours per week or for less than five months in any 
calendar year. Participants may elect to make contributions from 1% to 20% of compensation to the ASPP, subject to 
annual limitations determined by the Internal Revenue Service. Participants may purchase Company Common Stock at 
a 15% discount on the last business day of the option period. The purchase of our Common Stock is made through the 
ASPP on the open market and subsequently reissued to the associates. The difference of the open market purchase 
and the participant’s purchase price is being recognized as compensation expense.

Share Based Compensation Cost

Our  stock  option  and  non-vested  share  awards  qualify  for  equity  classification.  The  costs  of  our  ASPP,  along  with 
participant  contributions,  are  recorded  as  a  liability  until  open  market  purchases  are  completed.  The  amounts 
recognized in the consolidated statements of operations with respect to stock options, non-vested shares and ASPP 
are as follows:

(In thousands)

For the Years Ended

2010

2009

2008

Stock option and non-vested share compensation expense

$  23,723 

$  15,786 

$  14,674 

Associate stock purchase plan expense

Amounts capitalized in software development costs, net of amortization

 1,692 

 (512)

 1,318 

 (262)

 1,310 

 (840)

Amounts charged against earnings, before income tax benefit

$  24,903 

$  16,842   

$  15,144 

Amount of related income tax benefit recognized in earnings

$  9,329 

$ 

6,274 

$ 

5,641 

Treasury Stock

As of the end of 2010 and 2009, we held 0.8 million treasury shares carried at cost of $28.0 million.

Preferred Stock

As of the end of 2010 and 2009, we had 1.0 million shares of authorized but unissued preferred stock, $0.01 par value. 

(15)  

Foundations Retirement Plan

The Cerner Corporation Foundations Retirement Plan (the Plan) was established under Section 401(k) of the Internal 
Revenue  Code.  All  associates  age  18  and  older  and  who  are  not  a  member  of  an  excluded  class  are  eligible  to 
participate. Participants may elect to make pretax contributions from 1% to 80% of eligible compensation to the Plan, 
subject to annual limitations determined by the Internal Revenue Service. Participants may direct contributions into 
mutual funds, a stable value fund, a Company stock fund, or a self-directed brokerage account. We have a first tier 
discretionary match that is made on behalf of participants in an amount equal to 33% of the first 6% of the participant’s 
salary contribution. Our first tier discretionary match expenses for the Plan amounted to $8.9 million, $8.7 million and 
$8.7 million for 2010, 2009 and 2008, respectively.

We added a second tier discretionary match to the Plan in 2000. Contributions are based on attainment of established 
earnings per share goals for the year or the established financial metric for the Plan. Only participants who defer 2% of 
their paid base salary, are actively employed as of the last day of the Plan year and are employed before October 1st of 
the Plan year are eligible to receive the discretionary match contribution. For the years ended 2010, 2009 and 2008 
we expensed $8.9 million, $2.0 million and $2.2 million for the second tier discretionary distributions, respectively. 

93

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(16)  

Related Party Transactions

From  July  1994  until  August  2008  we  leased  an  airplane  from  PANDI,  Inc.  (PANDI),  a  company  owned  by  Neal  L. 
Patterson and Clifford W. Illig, our Chairman of the Board and CEO and Vice Chairman of the Board, respectively. During 
2009 and 2008 we paid an aggregate of $1.4 million and $0.4 million for the rental of the airplane, respectively. The 
airplane  was  used  principally  by  us  for  client  development  and  support  and  business  development  activities;  and 
in  particular,  to  reduce  business  related  travel  time  of  our  executives  and  associates,  increase  travel  flexibility  and 
increase  the  number  of  client  visits  than  would  have  been  possible  using  solely  commercial  travel.  On  August  14, 
2008, PANDI sold the airplane to a third party and the lease agreement with us was terminated.

Following  the  sale  of  the  airplane,  PANDI  undertook  a  complete  accounting  of  the  actual  financing,  operation, 
depreciation and maintenance costs of the airplane during the 14 year time period that we leased the airplane from 
PANDI. Following the due diligence efforts by a committee comprised of the independent members of the Board of 
Directors, during 2009 we were authorized to pay PANDI the sum of $1.4 million.

(17)  

Commitments

Leases

We  are  committed  under  operating  leases  for  office  space  and  computer  equipment  through  October  2027.  Rent 
expense  for  office  and  warehouse  space  for  our  regional  and  global  offices  for  2010,  2009  and  2008  was  $20.5 
million, $16.6 million and $16.1 million, respectively. Aggregate minimum future payments under these non-cancelable 
operating leases are as follows:

(In thousands)

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 and thereafter

Total:

Operating Lease 
Obligations

$ 

23,646 

 21,891 

 19,847 

 17,564 

 11,392 

 48,799 

$ 

143,139 

Purchase Obligations

We have purchase commitments with various vendors through 2019. These commitments represent non-cancellable 
commitments primarily to provide ongoing support, maintenance and service to our clients. Aggregate future payments 
under these commitments are as follows:

(In thousands)

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 and thereafter

Total:

Purchase Obligations

$ 

$ 

18,810 

13,707 

7,850

6,515 

3,263 

13,291 

63,436 

94

 
 
 
 
(18)  

Segment Reporting

We have two operating segments, Domestic and Global. Revenues are derived primarily from the sale of clinical, financial 
and administrative information systems and solutions. The cost of revenues includes the cost of third party consulting 
services,  computer  hardware  and  sublicensed  software  purchased  from  computer  and  software  manufacturers  for 
delivery to clients. It also includes the cost of hardware maintenance and sublicensed software support subcontracted 
to the manufacturers. Operating expenses incurred by the geographic business segments consist of sales and client 
service expenses including salaries of sales and client service personnel, communications expenses and unreimbursed 
travel expenses. Performance of the segments is assessed at the operating earnings level and, therefore, the segment 
operations have been presented as such. “Other” includes revenues not generated by the operating segments and 
expenses that have not been allocated to the operating segments, such as software development, marketing, general 
and administrative, share-based compensation expense and depreciation. We manage our operating segments to the 
operating earnings level. Items such as interest, income taxes, capital expenditures and total assets and are managed 
at the consolidated level and thus are not included in our operating segment disclosures.

Accounting policies for each of the reportable segments are  the same as those  used  on a consolidated basis. The 
following table presents a summary of the operating information for 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Operating Segments

Domestic

Global

Other

Total

(In thousands)

2010

Revenues

(In thousands)

2009

Revenues

(In thousands)

2008

Revenues

  $  1,562,563 

  $ 

287,659 

  $ 

Cost of revenues

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

272,385 

417,181 

689,566 

47,971 

124,546 

172,517 

- 

 - 

628,806 

628,806 

  $  1,850,222 

320,356 

1,170,533 

1,490,889 

Operating earnings (loss)

  $ 

872,997 

  $ 

115,142 

  $ 

(628,806)

  $ 

359,333 

Operating Segments

Domestic

Global

Other

Total

  $  1,398,715 

  $ 

273,149 

  $ 

Cost of revenues

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

 240,847 

 372,370 

 613,217 

 40,351 

 130,256 

 170,607 

- 

 - 

 596,034 

 596,034 

  $  1,671,864 

 281,198 

 1,098,660 

 1,379,858 

Operating earnings (loss)

  $ 

785,498 

  $ 

102,542 

  $ 

(596,034)

  $ 

292,006 

Operating Segments

Domestic

Global

Other

Total

  $  1,307,510 

  $ 

368,518 

  $ 

Cost of revenues

Operating expenses

Total costs and expenses

 225,955 

 361,213 

 587,168 

 70,108 

 150,729 

 220,837 

- 

 - 

 589,138 

 589,138 

  $  1,676,028 

 296,063 

 1,101,080 

 1,397,143 

Operating earnings (loss)

  $ 

720,342 

  $ 

147,681 

  $ 

(589,138)

  $ 

278,885 

95

(19)  

Quarterly Results (unaudited)

Selected quarterly financial data for 2010 and 2009 is set forth below:

(In thousands,  
except per share data)

2010 quarterly results:

Revenues

Earnings Before 
Income Taxes

Net Earnings

Basic Earnings 
Per Share

Diluted Earnings 
Per Share

First Quarter

$ 

431,337 

$ 

77,363 

$  50,286 

$ 

0.61 

$ 

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

456,001 

462,683 

500,201 

86,278 

94,084 

104,487 

55,477 

60,872 

70,637 

 0.67 

 0.74 

 0.85 

Total

$  1,850,222 

$  362,212 

$  237,272 

2009 quarterly results:

First Quarter

$  392,322 

$ 

61,863 

$  40,830 

$ 

0.51 

$ 

Second Quarter

 403,806 

 66,223 

 43,745 

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

Total

 409,415 

 466,321 

 70,887 

 48,394 

 93,708 

 60,496 

$  1,671,864 

$ 

292,681 

$ 193,465 

 0.54 

 0.60 

 0.74 

0.59 

 0.65 

 0.71 

 0.82 

0.49 

 0.52 

 0.57 

 0.71 

96

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stock Price Performance Graph

The following graph presents a comparison for the five-year period ended December 31, 2010 of the performance of the Common 
Stock of the Company with the NASDAQ Composite Index (US Companies) (as calculated by The Center for Research in Security Prices) 
and the NASDAQ Computer/Data Processing Group (as calculated by The Center for Research in Security Prices):

Comparison of 5 Year Cumulative Total Return

$300

$200

$100

$0

12/05

12/06

12/07

12/08

12/09

12/10

Cerner Corporation

Nasdaq Computer and Data Processing Index

Nasdaq Stock Market (US Companies)

The above comparison assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2005 in Common Stock of the Company and in each of the 
foregoing indices and assumes reinvestment of dividends. The results of each component issuer of each group are weighted according 
to such issuer’s stock market capitalization at the beginning of each year.

97

Annual Shareholders’ Meeting
The Annual Shareholders’ Meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. on May 27, 2011, at The Cerner Round auditorium in the Cerner Vision 
Center, located on the Cerner campus at 2850 Rockcreek Parkway, North Kansas City, Missouri. A formal notice of the Meeting, with 
a Proxy Statement and Proxy Card, will be available, to each shareholder of record, in April 2011.

Annual Report/10-K Report
Publications of interest to current and potential Cerner investors are available upon written request or via Cerner’s Web site at  
www.cerner.com. These include annual and quarterly reports and the Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Written requests should be made to:

Cerner Corporation
Investor Relations
2800 Rockcreek Parkway
North Kansas City, MO 64117-2551

Inquiries of an administrative nature relating to shareholder accounting records, stock transfer, change of address and 
miscellaneous shareholder requests should be directed to the transfer agent and registrar, Computershare Trust Company,  
at 1-800-884-4225.

Transfer Agent and Registrar
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. 
P.O. Box 43078 
Providence, RI 02940-3078 
1-800-884-4225

Stock Listings
Cerner Corporation’s common stock trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC under the symbol CERN.

Independent Accountants
KPMG LLP 
Kansas City, MO

98