Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS), A Xerox Company (XRX 11.06, +0.03, +0.27%) , today became one of the largest providers of customer care services to the pharmaceutical, biotech and healthcare industries with the acquisition of TMS Health from private equity firm Palm Beach Capital.
Through TMS Health, a Boca Raton, Fla.-based healthcare teleservices company, ACS will improve communication between pharmaceutical companies, physicians, consumers and pharmacists. By providing customer education, product sales and marketing, and clinical trial solutions, ACS builds on the IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) services it already delivers to the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
“ACS is helping pharmaceutical companies make every customer interaction count — in a market that spends up to $12 billion per year on marketing to its stakeholders,” said Connie Harvey, group president, ACS Healthcare Payer and Insurance. “TMS brings strong communication capabilities to the deal. Together, we will save clients money and help them more effectively reach constituents.”
Specific TMS offerings now available through ACS include:
Physician Services: outbound calls to physicians to educate them with up-to-date information on pharmaceutical products and services. Direct to Consumer: fielding consumer inquiries resulting from pharmaceutical company sponsored print, Internet and television advertising. This division also handles customer support for medical devices and pharmaceutical products. Clinical Trials: recruiting and screening patients for enrollment in clinical trials. Pharmacy Services: contacting and educating pharmacists in retail pharmacies — 52,000 in the TMS database — to provide up-to-date information on new and existing drugs, to collect stocking orders and manage rebate processing.
“By tapping into new BPO and IT services, and leveraging Xerox’s investments in technology, innovation and in document management, we will help clients communicate more frequently and effectively with the stakeholders who depend on up-to-date information to make real-time healthcare decisions,” said Guy Amato, CEO, TMS Health.
Amato will remain with ACS, as will the more than 600 TMS Health employees. ACS will add TMS’ customers, which include seven of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies, to its list of healthcare clients and maintain all existing offices, with plans to expand in Indianapolis.
ACS, A Xerox Company touches the lives of nearly two of every three insured individuals in the U.S. and performs transactions for 19 of the top 20 managed care health plans, reducing processing costs by up to 50 percent. ACS also provides hospitals, clinics and medical practitioners with information technology, clinical solutions and management services so providers can operate more efficiently and effectively, enabling clients to reduce costs, enhance revenue, increase productivity and improve patient care. ACS is a national leader in state healthcare program administration, supporting more than 35 million program recipients and processing more than 570 million Medicaid healthcare claims annually, representing close to $50 billion in provider payments.
Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/acs-a-xerox-company-expands-pharmaceutical-services-with-acquisition-of-tms-health-2010-10-15?reflink=MW_news_stmp
