Technology companies are competing for a lucrative contract to handle the Defense Department’s electronic medical records. (AFP/Getty Images)

As the deadline for bids on a coveted Defense Department contract approaches, teams of technology giants — including IBM and Hewlett-Packard — are competing to modernize the military’s electronic health records.

In the next several months, the Defense Department plans to select a team for an up-to-10-year contract, valued at an estimated $11 billion. The awardee would be tasked with revamping the department’s health IT system — covering more than 6 million veterans and 9 million active-duty service members — so that patient records are easily transferable between military treatment locations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and outside health systems. The Defense Department plans to begin testing and putting the system in place over the 2014-2015 fiscal year.....Continue Reading

> via The Washington Post