Harris Corporation Awarded $72 Million Contract to Support Expansion of VA's Consolidated Billing and Collection Services

WASHINGTON, April 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Harris Corporation (NYSE: HRS) has received a three-year, $72 million contract from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to support the agency's national expansion of its Consolidated Patient Account Center (CPAC) business model.  The contract contains one base-year with two one-year options.  

The work will improve billing and collection activities across sixteen of VA's networks and 108 associated medical centers.  The VA is one of the world's largest healthcare delivery organizations.  

The CPAC expansion is creating regional patient account centers that operate under centralized control and reflect industry best practices.  A key focus of this approach is to enhance billing and collection from third parties, a complex process that can involve many different healthcare and insurance providers.  

The pilot Mid-Atlantic CPAC (MACPAC) project, based in Asheville, North Carolina, was implemented on schedule and within budget in 2006 by a two-member team led by Patriot Technologies.  The MACPAC has since achieved an 18-percent increase in collections – a new benchmark for revenue operations throughout the VA.

Harris acquired Patriot Technologies in November 2009, expanding its position as a leading provider of integrated, interoperable healthcare information technology solutions for the federal government market.

"This contract reflects the successful blending of Patriot's longtime technical experience supporting the VA's unique requirements with the information security technology and systems integration expertise of Harris," said Jim Traficant, vice president of Harris Healthcare Solutions.  "The CPAC business model will bring significant cost-saving efficiencies to the VA's Veterans Health Administration, and will ultimately enhance patient care."

Harris Healthcare Solutions provides secure enterprise intelligence solutions and services for government and commercial customers — including systems integration, intelligent infrastructure, advanced visualization and display, enterprise digital content management and IT solutions.  A leader in federal healthcare IT integration, Harris products, systems and services improve healthcare outcomes by assuring that critical medical and benefits information is delivered with security and privacy to the right person, on the right device, at the point of care.

About Harris Corporation

Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets worldwide.  Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $5 billion of annual revenue and more than 15,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists.  Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications® products, systems, and services.  Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect management's current expectations, assumptions and estimates of future performance and economic conditions.  Such statements are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and future trends to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.  Statements about the expected value of the program to Harris are forward-looking and involve risks and uncertainties.  Other factors that may impact the company's results and forward-looking statement may be disclosed in the company's filings with the SEC.  Harris disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

SOURCE Harris Corporation