When you think of General Dynamics, you probably think of tanks, armaments, munitions and shipbuilding. However, back in 2011, the company diversified its operations when it purchased a business called Vangent.
Vangent, Inc., is a healthcare information technology provider that has a track record of serving government agencies. In that vein, the company just bagged a $28.2 million contract to create a new healthcare hotline.
Using language approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the call center will answer questions about state insurance exchanges via telephone, e-mail, chat, fax or snail mail. According to Vangent, the call center will be staffed by 300 agents and will provide information for the insurance exchanges in at least 34 states.
If all goes according to plan, then the call center will open on October 1, 2013.
In addition to the Vangent program, General Dynamics also revealed today that it had secured a $20 million government contract to support the CMS Benefit Eligibility Suite of System Transactions (BESST) program. The contract, which will last for five years, enables General Dynamics to support Medicare beneficiary eligibility information and other critical elements of CMS's healthcare mission. Additionally, the company will provide program management, documentation and training services for the HIPAA eligibility transaction system.
“The systems maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are critical to ensuring beneficiaries receive accurate and efficient services,” said Marcus Collier, senior vice president of General Dynamics Information Technology’s Health and Civilian Solutions division. “General Dynamics supports CMS on many of its core programs and we will leverage this experience to bring additional value to the BESST program.”
The organization already supports CMS's Early Retiree Reinsurance Program, its Retiree Drug Subsidy program and the ViPS Medicare System. It isn't exactly beating swords into plowshares by entering the healthcare market, but it's definitely making a smart move by diversifying into other business segments besides armaments and munitions.
Edited by
Jamie Epstein
