ACS gets La. health claims processing contract

Affiliated Computer Services Inc. has won a three-year contract from the Louisiana Office of Group Benefits to provide health claims processing and customer services, the company announced this week. The value of the deal was not disclosed.

Under the contract, ACS of Dallas will provide a range of processing and call-center services using the agency's health claims applications.

Specifically, the company will provide overflow processing for those claims not processed internally by the Office of Group Benefits, and provide call center operations for the agency's provider community. The contract services will be performed at ACS' Claims Administration Center in Tallahassee, Fla.

The Louisiana Office of Group Benefits is responsible for administering health care benefits for state employees.

The health claims processing contract is the second major deal the company has announced with the state this month. The company announced Aug. 18 that it had won a three-year contract to collect child benefits on behalf of the state.

The contract expands ACS' presence in the government healthcare market where it uses its experience in commercial, workers' compensation and behavioral health claims processing, said Harvey Braswell, group president of ACS' State Healthcare Solutions.

"With more than 34,000 square feet of operational capacity and more than 200 associates at our Tallahassee Claims Administration Center, ACS is able to provide exceptional service and value to its customers in support of their mission-critical business operations," he said.

ACS is a provider of business process and information technology outsourcing to commercial and government clients. The company has more than 40,000 employees and had annual sales of $3.7 billion in 2003.