HHS has asked federal contractor Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, Md., to study how privacy consent controls could be part of future requirements for the meaningful use of electronic health-record systems.

In July, HHS awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth more than $5.3 million for work supporting implementation of the Nationwide Health Information Network developed by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. This week, HHS modified the contract, bumping up the order by more than $1.2 million and giving Lockheed Martin four new unspecified tasks "integral to work currently being performed," according to a notice published on FedBizOpps.gov. The additional outlay will help Lockheed give the ONC "an in-depth understanding of how privacy consent directives may become a core part of future meaningful-use requirements for trusted exchange of sensitive records," according to the notice.

Lockheed Martin was represented on a 42-member work group of the American Council for Technology's Industry Advisory Council, which last year released a report advising the Veterans Affairs Department to overhaul the department's VistA EHR system.