A Melbourne technology giant will be paid $19 million by the state to create a network of patient health care records that can be easily accessed by health care providers.
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration announced Wednesday that it was awarding Melbourne-based Harris Corp. the four-year contract after a month's delay in getting the project off the ground. Harris beat out six other bidders to win the contract that is part of an AHCA mission to put more health records online.
This is the start of a carefully designed effort to improve Floridas statewide health information exchange infrastructure by leveraging existing and developing initiatives in communities across the state, thus empowering health care providers to utilize electronic health records more effectively in patient care, AHCA Interim Secretary Liz Dudek said in a release.Health care professionals that have more complete information at the time of service can improve coordination, avoid duplication of tests, and encourage preventive care.
Harris beat out AT&T, Microsoft, Evolent Technologies, Cerner Corp., Medicity and Thompson Reuters for the contract. The seven companies were eventually narrowed down to Cerner Corp., Harris, Medicity and Thompson Reuters before Harris was selected.
When AHCA announced Nov. 30 it intended to award the contract to Harris, lawyers for AT&T signaled that the company may challenge the award. However, the telecommunications powerhouse ultimately backed down and AHCA proceeded with its plans to go ahead with Harris.
Jim Traficant, vice president and general manager of Harris Healthcare Solutions, said in a statement that the company was looking forward to partnering with the state and noted that the companys own employees had a stake in the process since the company is Florida-based.
Our Harris family employees living in Florida, and worldwide, are all counting on our collective success, he said.
The system the company is being charged to build would connect health provider networks such as hospital systems, integrated delivery systems, regional health information groups, federally qualified health centers, county health departments and other networks. The system would allow the participants to locate health care records for patient care.
