The Alabama Medicaid Agency on Tuesday selected Affiliated Computer Services to create an electronic health record database of the state's Medicaid beneficiaries, the AP/Montgomery Advertiser reports. However, questions have been raised about the vendor's performance in other states.
The two-year, $3.7 million contract to create electronic health records for the Medicaid beneficiaries will begin in 11 counties, Carol Steckel, the agency's director, said. The EHRs will allow physicians to view the results of lab tests and help them treat patients, especially those with chronic conditions such as diabetes, Steckel said.
The contract also requires ACS to create a system for state HHS agencies to share EHRs on common beneficiaries, the AP/Advertiser reports (Johnson, AP/Montgomery Advertiser, 8/22).
Concerns
The contract announcement has prompted concerns about allegations that ACS lost millions of personal records in Georgia and Colorado and secured a Canadian contract through bribery, the Mobile Press-Register reports.
In addition, North Carolina in July 2006 canceled a contract with ACS to build a system to process Medicaid claims after disputes over payments and missed deadlines.
Questions also have been raised about the vendor's hiring of Toby Roth, former chief of staff to Alabama Gov. Bob Riley (R), about a week before the contract was finalized. Roth said that he only advised ACS on strategy for obtaining the contract and did not have direct contact with the Alabama Medicaid Agency (Lyman, Mobile Press-Register, 8/22).
Roth added that he spoke with state Ethics Commission officials and does not believe there is a conflict of interest.
ACS was chosen from seven companies that submitted proposals and was the third lowest bidder. The contract is being funded with a $7.6 million federal grant and will be reviewed on Sept. 6 by the state Legislature's Contract Review Committee (AP/Montgomery Advertiser, 8/22).