IBM has cure for Alberta, Canada's e-health record woes

IBM Corp. will assist the province of Alberta, Canada, in deploying an electronic health records system under a contract worth $10 million over two years.

IBM Corp. of Armonk, N.Y., will manage the rollout of the system, as well as recruit, enroll and train physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, throughout the province. Big Blue also will operate a toll-free user helpline.

The system will enable Alberta physicians, healthcare workers and facilities to reduce medical errors, prevent adverse drug reactions and improve the quality and speed of healthcare services, the company said.

When fully deployed, the system will give authorized healthcare professionals across the province a secure, single log-in to patient information. The provincial government wants every resident to have an electronic health record by 2008.

IBM Corp., which has more than 329,000 employees and had annual sales of $96.3 billion in fiscal 2005, ranks No. 17 on Washington Technology's 2006 Top 100 list of the largest federal IT contractors.