Dive Brief:

• Not to be outdone by the other Big Data ventures in the healthcare industry, the Anthem corporation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield health plans in 14 states has just announced a $500 million service agreement with IBM and its cloud services division, according to a Big Blue press release.
• The 5-year agreement will see IBM provide operational services to Anthem's mainframe and data center servers, using a hybrid data path through which Anthem will make use of both its traditional in-house infrastructure as well as IBM's cloud.
• "The healthcare industry is going through dynamic change that requires us to be more agile and responsive," said Tom Miller, senior vice president and chief information officer, Anthem, Inc, in the press release. "Our partnership with IBM will help provide the infrastructure and IT capabilities we need to respond rapidly to market demands, launch new products for plan members and deliver on Anthem’s mission."

Dive Insight:

When we reported that Allina Health and Health Catalyst engaged in a $100-million joint venture to explore the power of Big Data, we figured that would be the biggest deal we'd announce in the sector for the rest of the year.

We were wrong. So, just how big a deal is this? Anthem, Inc. serves nearly 69 million people through its affiliated companies, including more than 37 million enrolled in its family of health plans.

This is not the typical IT services agreement. Anthem is looking toward the future and wants to build a foundation for its data-driven operations that will be strong enough to sustain the Big Data revolution that is coming.

The pundits have all soundly declared that Big Data will change healthcare as we know it; this is a deal that is significant not just because of its size, but also because of its commitment to that revolution.