The government has given a contract to Hewlett-Packard Inc. (HPQ) for improving Medicare Part B claims by providing services for processing and the delivery of services to beneficiaries.

H-P has got a $200 million contract with the U. S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Under the contract H-P will provide applications support and maintenance services, including system enhancements.

Reports said that due to an ever-increasing volume of Medicare Part-B claims, H-P is expected to deliver production and user support for processing it.

According to the technology giant, since being awarded the initial Part-B Shared System Maintainer contract in 1997, H-P has demonstrated a solid record of performance.

Dennis Stolkey, senior vice president of the U. S. Public Sector for H-P Enterprise Services said, "As the Medicare population grows, CMS continues to modernize to be able to manage and deliver transformative technology that will improve Medicare services for beneficiaries and health-care providers alike. H-P is proud to support CMS in their Medicare modernization initiatives."

After signing a new, $200 million contract with the U. S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hewlett-Packard is expanding its federal government and health care IT services portfolio with an aim to provide application support and other services.