The Maryland Hospital Association, which represents dozens of hospitals in the state, said Thursday that it has contracted with a New-York based company to buy health care data and services, including analysis of federal health policy and the new reform law's impact on finances.

The contract is with Albany-based DataGen.

In an unrelated deal, health care information provider Press Ganey Associates Inc. said that it has acquired the Quality Indicator Project division from the Maryland Hospital Association.

The project was launched in 1984 to help hospitals measure their clinical performance and comply with reporting requirements. About 500 U.S. hospitals use the reporting service, including 56 in Maryland, according to the association. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.