Dive Brief:
- Two groups of powerhouse EMR vendors and technology giants are competing for a massive EMR contract for the Department of Defense's Military Health System.
- One group vying for the contract consists of global tech provider IBM and EMR vendor Epic Systems. Now, giant defense contractor and systems integrator Computer Sciences Corp. has partnered with Hewlett Packard and EMR developer Allscripts to bid for the job.
- The DoD has estimated that the multi-year contract — which involves replacing and modernizing the agency's EMR system — will pay out $11 billion, so the stakes are very high.
Dive Insight:
So far, the bidding process is in its early stages. While the DoD is accepting questions and comments on its latest draft RFP, it isn't accepting bids yet. But it's likely to be quite a contest, as both groups of competitors have incredibly deep benches, plus EMR partners with very high profiles. In the past, Allscripts has been dogged by management turnover and rumors of a takeover, but it's hard to tell whether these old issues will impact its bid for the DoD job. Given the DoD's drawn-out bidding process, it could be some time before the groups get any feedback on their position.