WASHINGTON – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded a six-year, $28 million contract to Columbia, S.C.-based Companion Data Services for data center hosting operations to support 1-800-MEDICARE National Data Warehouse.

The warehouse contains statistical information based on telephone calls to the

1-800-MEDICARE help line, including the most frequent inquiries and the duration of calls. CMS analyzes the data to improve outreach materials and customer service for the 43 million Americans with Medicare coverage.

The contract work  is part of a broader CMS plan to modernize Medicare operations.