AMS gets $3M deal from Illinois public aid

American Management Systems Inc. won a $3 million contract from the Illinois Department of Public Aid to provide system integration and consulting services that will enable the agency to achieve compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

By the federally mandated deadline of Oct. 16, the public aid department will be able to process transactions in compliance with national standards for the protection of personal health information. AMS announced the win today.

Under the contract, the Fairfax, Va.-based business and IT consulting firm will also develop an electronic medical claims submission system that will allow about 60,000 providers working with the state agency to submit claims, perform claim status inquiries and retrieve remittance advice via the Internet.

When fully implemented, the system is expected to process up to 32 million claims per year.

Donna Morea, executive vice president and general manager of AMS' public-sector group, said the company would enable public aid department to meet the October deadline, improve service, cut down on paperwork and reduce costs by implementing its online claims processing system.

The Illinois Department of Public Aid provides medical assistance to low-income, elderly and disabled people and ensures that children receive the financial support they are entitled to from noncustodial parents.

AMS specializes in enterprise resource planning, credit risk management, customer relationship management, and enterprise security. The firm had revenue of about $987 million last year and employs about 6,300 people.