The Governor's Office of Health Care Reform Wednesday announced its intention to enter into a contract worth at least $10 million with Medicity without the benefit of an open and transparent bid, request for proposal or other long-established practice of public contracting.

Over the past 18 months, multiple Republican and Democratic officials have been indicted and charged with undertaking secretive, non-transparent, non-public participatory contracts against the public interest. Taxpayers pay and pay for these bad dealings.

The technology that connects hospitals, physicians and health care providers to improve patient safety is called health information exchange technology, or HIE. When Pennsylvania undertakes its statewide HIE project, it will be one of the largest of its kind in the nation. The state HIE technology will connect large health care organizations such as University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, as well as large and small physicians. Deploying the best HIE system is vitally important to 12 million Pennsylvanians.

Presently, Medicity's biggest operating HIE project is the Delaware Health Information Network. For perspective, Geisinger Medical System of Danville is larger than all of Delaware's health care systems combined, by far. Delaware cannot compare to the size, scope and complexity of Pennsylvania's health care systems.

Many people are questioning why the state is not using the state procurement code to buy the HIE technology. Rumors, allegations and speculations are swirling. In fact, these controversies will slow down or stop the deployment of HIE technologies.

Every day, Pennsylvania government has the opportunity to be open, transparent and honest. We support open, transparent and honest government because that path saves resources, time and taxpayer money, creates better government service and is the right thing to do. No matter which vendor wins, we believe the procurement process must be open, participatory, collaborative and fair.

More than ever, it's time for the General Assembly, auditor general, attorney general and the governor to intervene and force this HIE technology project to be openly bid, transparent, participatory and fairly contracted.

On Dec. 1, the state Senate's Technology Committee has scheduled a hearing on IT procurement. Recognizing federal stimulus money shall be used and President Obama's call for openness, transparency and public participation, we formally request the Senate committee expand the hearing to provide a full and complete public disclosure on the contracting plans and projects of the governor's health care reform office.

Kelly Lewis is president and chief executive officer of TechQuest Pennsylvania, operated by the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania.