Lockheed helps HHS build out digital health records and exchanges

Lockheed Martin Corp. will help the Health and Human Services Department accelerate the establishment of digital health records and secure health information exchanges as a result of two new HHS contracts that have a combined value of $9 million.

The contracts, which were awarded by the HHS Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, support the Nationwide Health Information Network, according to a Lockheed announcement dated Aug. 25.

Under the first contract, Lockheed Martin will create new reference implementation software that will support the development, testing and adoption of future NIHN capabilities.

The second contract calls for the development of real-world demonstrations and pilots for emergent NHIN capabilities.

“These pilots assess not only the technology and standards associated with the Nationwide Health Information Network but also provide a test bed to evaluate the interaction of all those elements required for secure interoperability among health care stakeholders,” Michael Leff, director of Lockheed Martin Health Information Management Solutions, said in the announcement.

“This is the equivalent of taking a new medical therapy out of a controlled clinical trial and assessing the value of that therapy in a real-world setting,” he said.

The NHIN is the set of services, standards and policies that enable the secure exchange of health information over the Internet, the Lockheed statement said.

This IT initiative is considered a foundational element in realizing the goals of the Health Information Technology and Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, to improve the quality and efficiency of health care for Americans, the statement added.

Lockheed Martin Corp., of Bethesda, Md., ranks No. 1 on Washington Technology’s 2010 Top 100 list of the largest federal government contractors.