U.S. DOD military health system selects 3M coding.

3M Health Information Systems has acknowledged that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Military Health System, one of the nation's largest health care providers, has selected 3M to provide a fully integrated system of software products and consulting services for medical records coding, compliance and data analysis as part of their TRICARE Patient Accounting System. Following an initial performance period at a multi-site demonstration, it is the goal of the DoD Military Health System to deploy 3M Health Information Systems products and services at more than 100 military hospitals and associated medical and dental clinics worldwide.

Under the agreement, the DoD Military Health System will implement 3M's industry-leading coding and reimbursement product suite, integrated with comprehensive data analysis and reporting modules of the 3M Health Data Management System. 3M will support DoD goals to improve the accuracy of clinical information, help ensure correct billing, reduce the risk for noncompliance, trend clinical performance, target education efforts and improve revenue generation. 3M will team with Planned Systems International Inc. (PSI), based in Columbia, Md., to meet the objectives of the program. 3M also will be working with Park City Solutions of Midway, Utah, the prime systems integrator for the coding and compliance project.

3M will provide the DoD Military Health System with data analysis and reporting tools for every step in the care process, including applications for coding, grouping and editing; reimbursement calculations; patient data abstracting; care management evaluation; and medical necessity review. As part of the overall implementation, 3M also will provide process improvement and training services for DoD coding and billing operations. Products included in the agreement are the 3M Coding and Reimbursement System, 3M Physician Coding and Reimbursement System, 3M Coding Reference Software, 3M All Patient Refined DRG (APR-DRG) Software, 3M Audit Expert Inpatient and Outpatient Software, as well as 3M Health Record Management Software and the 3M Care Management System.

"For more than 15 years, 3M Health Information Systems has partnered with the DoD Military Health System to provide software products that enhance the delivery of patient care to military personnel and their families," says James Burgess, division vice president of 3M Health Information Systems Division. "[This] announcement represents an important strategic alliance for us. We look forward to helping the DoD meet the complex challenges of patient care with advanced technology for measuring performance, influencing outcomes, and managing resources across all military healthcare facilities."

The scope of the agreement includes full integration of the 3M coding and reimbursement product suite and 3M Health Data Management System with both the Department of Defense Military Health System Composite Health Care System I (CHSC I) and Composite Health Care System II (CHCS II) the global computer-based patient record (CPR) system presently being developed within the DoD Military Health System. CHCS II has been developed using core software components of 3M Care Innovation, a suite of expert applications that form the foundation of a computer-based patient record. The DoD enterprise license agreement for 3M Care Innovation software was awarded in September 1999.

The DoD Military Health System is one of the largest enterprise health care providers in the United States. The contract covers all DoD Military Health System entities whose mission is to provide health care services and support to members of the Armed Forces, their family members and others entitled to DoD health care--from worldwide theater of operations to the continental United States.

PSI is the prime system integrator for the DoD Military Health System Third Party Outpatient Collection System (TPOCS). Founded in 1988, PSI is an IT solutions and services company. With a staff of over 210 quality IT professionals, PSI core competencies include information systems development and integration, communication and network systems, healthcare informatics, information assurance, and e-commerce solutions, supporting key customers in the public and private market sectors. PSI's major clients include the U.S. Navy; DoD Health Affairs; Defense Finance and Accounting Service; the Department of Agriculture; the National Science Foundation; State of Maryland; and commercial customers, including Unisys and IBM.

Park City Solutions of Midway, Utah, is the prime systems integrator for the coding and compliance project for the TRICARE Patient Accounting System. Park City Solutions is a leading technology and professional services firm that advances health care performance through its people, process and technology. By delivering a broad range of Web solutions, and providing clinical best practices and IT consulting services, Park City Solutions assists its health care and governmental clients to better manage the quality and cost of care.

3M Health Information Systems, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a leading provider of advanced software tools and services that help healthcare organizations capture, classify and manage accurate healthcare data. Built on a foundation of more than 20 years of clinical, financial and administrative expertise, 3M HIS products help ensure the quality of data, which drives an organization's ability to manage revenue, comply with regulations, improve quality of patient care and manage resources effectively. 3M Health Information Systems also supports customers with world-class technical service, coding expertise, and on-site and Web-based training.

3M is a $16 billion diversified technology company with leading positions in health care, safety, electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office, and other markets. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., the company has operations in more than 60 countries and serves customers in nearly 200 countries. 3M businesses share technologies, manufacturing operations, brands, marketing channels and other important resources. 3M, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, is one of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average and also is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.