Healthcare information

ACS signs $21 million contract with Malta to implement integrated health information systems, from CNN Money in Dallas:

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. announced today that it has signed a seven-year, $21 million contract with the Government of Malta to improve the delivery of healthcare to patients and improve the accuracy of their healthcare information. The new agreement -- a key component of the Government of Malta's program to attain the highest quality of patient care for all Maltese citizens -- is the first phase of the Government's Integrated Health Information System (IHIS), which aims to improve the management of healthcare records and to integrate state-of-the-art digital medical equipment in Malta's 850-bed Mater Dei Hospital, the nation's largest healthcare facility.

"This is another milestone reached by the government in its endeavour to give the Maltese people the best in healthcare," said Frank Mifsud, Malta's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, the Elderly and Community Care. "These integrated healthcare information systems should put our patients' minds at rest that their medical care is being dealt with effectively and in the most professional way. These systems will also open avenues for the planned future expansion of our healthcare network."

ACS will provide the hardware, software, and expertise needed to maintain laboratory information systems, radiology information systems, picture archiving, and communications systems. The company will integrate these products and systems with the systems currently used in the management of Mater Dei Hospital. Through this new agreement, ACS will provide products and services to aid in reaching more precise diagnoses of patient conditions. In addition, the agreement supplies physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals with the latest in healthcare technology, meeting and exceeding standards existing elsewhere in the world...