Vangent, Inc., a provider of information management and strategic business process technology, has been awarded a $15.6 million contract by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology.

The company will promote the adoption of health IT, improve methods of health information exchange (HIE) and provide subject matter expertise as program manager for the Federal Health Architecture (FHA) and CONNECT initiative.

Under the contract, Vangent will provide ONC with program management and health IT management consulting capabilities and run the FHA and CONNECT Program Management Office (PMO). The contract award also calls for Vangent's health IT subject matter experts to work directly with federal healthcare agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs to increase adoption of the CONNECT solution.

"Vangent is pleased to continue advancing the adoption of CONNECT and other FHA initiatives and to work with the federal government to ensure that all citizens have electronic health records by 2014," said Mac Curtis, president and CEO, Vangent. "By providing technical solutions like Health Information Exchange Open Source (HIEOS) that serve as part of the CONNECT solution stack, in addition to consulting and program management services to the FHA PMO, Vangent helps ONC work towards its goal of improved quality of care and increased program efficiency."

Vangent serves as program manager for the National Health Information Network CONNECT Gateway solution, which was named one of the most innovative technologies of the year by The Wall Street Journal.

The CONNECT software, of which Vangent's HIEOS solution is a part, is an open source solution that uses standards and governance to ensure that HIEs are compatible with one another, both locally and at the national level.

Vangent's HIEOS solution was selected by the ONC to provide record locater and storage services.

Under the new contact, Vangent will also support FHA integration with the National Health Information Network Standards and Interoperability (S&I) Framework and federal involvement with the National Health Information Network DIRECT project. The Vangent team will also manage FHA and CONNECT operational performance and financial tasks.

The Vangent team of partners (Iris Partners, SAIC, and Spire Communications) has found success with its previous work with the FHA and CONNECT – serving as manager of the FHA Program Management Office since its inception in 2004 and and program manager for the CONNECT initiative since its inception in 2006.

"Vangent's work with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has enriched our team's experience in the health IT industry," said Kerry Weems, senior vice president and general manager of Vangent's Health Solutions business.

The maximum duration of the contract with FHA is five years, and if all options are exercised, the value of the contract is $15.6 million.