Bull wins Calif. Medicaid data management deal

Bull Services will implement new business intelligence technologies for the state of California to improve Medicaid program administration through a four-year, $44 million contract.

Under the contract, Bull Services of Billerica, Mass. will deploy a technology solution designed to more efficiently manage California's $37 billion Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, and improve health care services for millions of residents.

The company will provide the hardware, software, services and consulting expertise for the Medi-Cal system.

The California General Services Department awarded the contract. The California Health Services Department, which runs the Medi-Cal program, will administer it.

Business intelligence involves the deployment of applications and technologies specifically designed to improve program and operational performance.

Medi-Cal is responsible for providing the care and improving the overall health of about one out of every five Californians.

The new solution will help support the state's goals of achieving comprehensive health care reform, delivering high quality health care in the most cost-effective settings, emphasizing prevention and early intervention, improving health care outcomes and uncovering and preventing fraud and abuse.

The system will give department of health services analysts the ability to access and analyze huge volumes of data in minutes, and quickly link data from disparate databases to determine patterns, probabilities and trends within the Medi-Cal system.

It will offer the Health Services Department the capability to track and monitor an individual's care and cost across overlapping programs; for example, those who receive Medi-Cal benefits and food and cash assistance benefits.

Bull Services of Billerica, Mass., has implemented similar solutions in Michigan, Illinois, New York, Minnesota and Utah.