General Dynamics Information Technology Delivers New Quality of Care System for the NHS in England

FAIRFAX, Va., June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has successfully launched the Calculating Quality Reporting Service (CQRS) in partnership with the Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) for the National Health Service (NHS) in England.

The CQRS will support all 8,500 GP practices in England, and will facilitate annual quality reward payments for improved patient care totaling over £1.2 billion. The service reduces the time GP practices spend calculating achievements and payments, enables system changes to be made in line with changing NHS requirements and provides calculations for enhanced national and specialized local services.

General Dynamics Information Technology's health solutions team and HSCIC worked closely with the user community to design and develop CQRS, which will replace the Quality Management and Analysis System (QMAS) nationally.

Andrew King, practice business manager of a medium-sized GP practice, commented, "CQRS is a lot more versatile than QMAS. QMAS purely focuses on the Quality & Outcomes Framework (QOF). CQRS looks at all the quality schemes that are out there, it enables data to be extracted automatically from clinical systems so that it can be used in various formats for commissioners and service providers equally."

"To be entrusted with the delivery of this national health IT program is a great honor," said Stephen Meyler, managing director for General Dynamics Information Technology in the UK. "We have leveraged our global capabilities and history of health IT innovation to deliver this mission-critical service for the NHS and general practitioners across England."

The HSCIC was established in April 2013. As a trusted source of authoritative data and information relating to health and care, HSCIC plays a fundamental role in driving better care, better services and better outcomes for patients. The HSCIC supports the delivery of IT infrastructure, information systems and standards to ensure information flows efficiently and securely across the health and social care system to improve patient outcomes.

"As healthcare systems around the world face greater demands, linking healthcare quality measures to payment helps complete the true value equation in healthcare," said Kerry Weems, vice president and general manager of Health Solutions at General Dynamics Information Technology. "We are pleased to partner with HSCIC to implement CQRS and support the NHS in the delivery of better health outcomes."

General Dynamics Information Technology is a large-scale systems integrator, providing enterprise IT and professional services to clients in central government, local government and healthcare.  The company has UK offices in London and South Yorkshire.

For more information about General Dynamics Information Technology in the United Kingdom please visit www.uk.gdit.com.

More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.generaldynamics.com.

SOURCE General Dynamics Information Technology