The HCI Group, a Jacksonville, Fla.-based consultancy specializing in health information technology system installation and support, has acquired health IT training and systems-implementation company Expert Technical Advisors, Houston.
HCI and Expert Technical Advisors have deep experience with Epic Systems Corp. installations and have collaborated in the past. The two firms were part of a bid by Epic and IBM for a large Defense Department electronic health record contract, where “the range of synergies was impossible to ignore,” said Ricky Caplin, CEO of the HCI Group, in a statement.
The multibillion-dollar contract was awarded last year to Cerner, Leidos and Accenture Federal Services.
The acquisition enhances HCI's training and advisory capability. “ETA's expertise, particularly with EHR training methods and processes, dovetails perfectly with the HCI Group's existing services around the world,” Caplin said.
ETA co-founders Jason Huckabay and Stephen Tokarz will join HCI as vice presidents along with “dozens of ETA employees," the news release said. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.
In addition to Epic, HCI Group claims expertise in Cerner, Meditech, McKesson, NextGen and Allscripts Health Solutions implementations.