Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) has signed a definitive agreement to acquire MEDecision, one of the country's leading providers of health information technology. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is a division of HCSC.

MEDecision has been an HCSC vendor since 2005, providing a foundational piece of our Blue Care Connection® health care management platform. MEDecision's technology solutions include a collaborative platform for managing case, disease and utilization records, and an information exchange service that links BCBSIL and other payers with physicians, hospitals, laboratories and patients.

Once the acquisition is finalized, MEDecision will become an independent operating unit within HCSC and will continue to service other health benefits companies as a dedicated health care technology firm.

The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2008, subject to customary approvals. For details, view the full press release at HCSC or visit MEDecision for company information.