EDS Wins Defense Healthcare Contract

Outsourcer Electronic Data Systems said Tuesday that it won an $8.1 million contract to enhance the U.S. military's health information network.

The 12 month contract calls for EDS to perform technical upgrades to the Department of Defense's Military Health System, with an eye to improving MHS's Defense Health Information Management Systems network. The ultimate goal is to improve service to recovering veterans under DoD's Wounded Warrior program.

The contract represents an extension to a 16-year relationship between DHIMS and EDS, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard last year.

"Enhancing the accessibility of deployed service members' medical data is critical for ensuring healthcare providers have instant access to their patients' most vital medical records," said Dennis Stolkey, senior VP for EDS' U.S. Public Sector unit, in a statement.

Under the arrangement, EDS will provide application development services for the DHIMS' Disability Evaluation System and the Armed Forces Health Longitudinal Technology Application, which is the military's electronic health record.

The upgrades aim to improve collaboration across service lines, enhance workflows between caregivers and case managers, and speed information sharing between the DoD and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

They'll also bolster clinical case managers' access to data about beneficiaries' conditions, diagnostic tests, and prescriptions.

The DoD's Military Health System is the world's largest health maintenance organization and includes healthcare providers, educators, and medical researchers in the U.S. and at field operations worldwide. Its applications are touched by more than 60,000 end users.

"EDS takes great pride in providing the Defense Department's Military Health System with state-of-the-art health services for U.S. soldiers and their families," said Stolkey.

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