Blue Cross unit to track health-record stimulus payments

Companion Data Services LLC will provide data processing and hosting services to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to track economic stimulus law incentive payments under a new contract valued at $24 million, the company announced.

Companion Data, which is a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, will host and operate the CMS’ National Level Repository database on a Linux platform at its facilities in Columbia, S.C., according to a news release.

The contract has a single base year and four option years and is valued at $24 million if all options are exercised.

The repository is a database being created to track the $17 billion in stimulus law incentive payments to be paid to physician practices and hospitals that buy and meaningfully use electronic health record systems. The payments will begin in October.

Under a separate contract, Companion Data also is providing consulting services to Northrop Grumman Corp., which was selected recently by CMS to design and develop the national repository system.