Anthem is building a 21-story health IT hub in Atlanta that will hold about 3,000 multi-disciplinary IT professionals.

The Anthem Technology Center will create new capabilities that will enhance the consumer healthcare experience, help improve the quality of care, and lower healthcare costs, Anthem said.

Anthem affiliate Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Georgia has entered into a build-to-suit agreement with Portman Holdings for the development of an approximately 352,000 square-foot building in midtown.

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Construction is planned to begin in January 2018 with an expected completion in two years.

“We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with Portman Holdings in the construction of this ultramodern building that is designed to inspire cooperation and creativity and enable us to work smarter in an effort to transform healthcare through modernization, digitization, and innovation with the ultimate goal of delivering a better, more personalized experience for members of Anthem’s affiliated health plans,” said Tom Miller, Anthem senior vice president and chief information officer.

The hub will be located in Tech Square, a highly concentrated area known as an innovation hotbed. The area includes research facilities, incubators, technology startups and the Georgia Institute of Technology campus.

The new technology center is expected to create 1,800 jobs in Atlanta.

The city is already home to Anthem’s Innovation Studio, which has designed smart videos to greet consumers with a personalized welcome when they log into their plan website.

It has also ramped up remote monitoring and disease management.

The technology allows caregivers to be better connected with consumers and to track their health. This can be as simple as a reminder to take medications or to remotely monitor blood pressure.

Twitter: @SusanJMorse

Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com