The Department of Defense and Defense Health Agency have awarded a five-year, $139 million contract to McKesson subsidiary RelayHealth for patient engagement and messaging tools.
The technology will connect doctors, physician assistants, nurse case managers and other members of the care team to patients across the Military Health System, RelayHealth officials said – paving the way for better coordination across settings and improving patient engagement through secure messaging, educational content and care management technology.
The sole-source acquisition contract includes account management services, training resources and non-standard report preparation. DoD officials said the secure messaging will help enable delegation of care processes to those providers best equipped to deal with "without escalating all messages to the physician level."
“The DoD is undertaking a significant technological change in its approach to the management of electronic health records,” said Pat Blake, president of McKesson Technology Solutions, in a statement, noting that military families and MHS clinicians often routinely face relocation that can disrupt their healthcare delivery.
Secure messaging, he said offers "technical continuity for patients to maintain access to their physicians and care teams."
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Email the writer: mike.miliard@himssmedia.com
