Albany County committee authorizes five-year EHR contract with Canata Health Solutions

At a meeting of the Albany County Department of Mental Health committee, members voted unanimously to authorize entering a five-year contract with Canata Health Solutions for the department's electronic health record system. Presenters identified the vendor as the successor to Information Management Associates (IMA) and said the new product line, called Arise, offers web-based access, enhanced reporting and the ability to adjust record language and build forms on demand.

Dr. Gordano, a presenter, told the committee the county has roughly 30 years of client data — approximately 100,000 cases — that would be migrated into the new system and that the contract would begin Sept. 1 (as discussed in the meeting). He said the Arise product would “for the first time ever, allow us to do language adjustments in our records” and provide “enhanced data reporting [and] visual presentation capabilities.”

Committee members asked for technical details. Mr. Wafer asked about the product name and capabilities; presenters confirmed the product is called Arise and reiterated that the migration and additional features were reasons for seeking a multi-year agreement. Committee discussion referenced the vendor’s consolidation over the last year and the county’s decision to move mid-contract because of the new product offering.

The motion to authorize the contract was made by Dr. McLolin and seconded by Susan Pedto; the committee approved the motion unanimously. No legal authorities or ordinance numbers were cited in the discussion. The committee did not record a roll-call vote tally in the transcript beyond the motion and the chair’s statement that the vote was unanimous.

Next steps discussed by presenters included finalizing contract terms and completing the vendor-led data migration. The committee did not set a public hearing or additional review date in the recorded discussion.