Information Technology April 14, 2010 ADRC Webinar Stephanie Hull Chief, Long Term Care and State MAP Director Maryland Department of Aging

Current IT Status Everybody’s doing it or not doing it their way! – 19 Area Agencies on Aging – One Health Department MAP – Six Centers for Independent Living – 211 developing – Governor’s Problem Solving System – Multiple State Departments – Medicaid Eligibility On-line Application – Etc. etc. …………….

How did you decide what new systems or enhancements you needed? Statewide MAP Advisory Board Website Sub-committee Consumers, Providers, State and Local Agencies Representing the Older Adult Network and the Disability Network Consultants Consumer Focus Groups and Structured Testing Staff of other State IT Systems Components

The Procurement Process Escher, Relativity 1953

Procurement Figuring out what you want Drafting RFP specifications Coordinating with State agencies and Partners Working through the procurement process Reviewing proposals Completing the contract

In-house v. Off the Shelf Interviewed ADRC States Found in-house expensive and built on existing contractor relationships Tested a number of commercial products Decided they met our needs and would be faster Do not have resources to build and continue to modify an in-house system

Involving End-users Conducted a structured study on off-the shelf products in consumers (providers, older adults, individuals with disabilities, personal assistants, caregivers, agency providers and users) Created structured tasks to search for services, creation of a personal folder and seeking information on specific services Tested five products Obtained feedback on what worked, important features, etc. Interviewed other states’ staff working with ADRC IT systems regarding cost, staffing, challenges, etc.

Current Status Migrated statewide databases, e.g. licensed services Working with individual Area Agencies on Aging and Centers for Independent Living Working with other State agencies 7,000 plus provider records Planning October launch-September test

What do you like most about the way your IT systems have turned out? Still under construction Big learning curve-appreciate a flexible and technically competent vendor partner who – assists with getting site up – guiding our learning curve – works with multiple data bases and data entry options Challenges – getting the data into the system in a logical, searchable structure even though coming from vastly different sources – deciding minimum standards for going public, e.g. perfection versus progress – need for at least one in-house staff fully focused on work

Recommendations Partnerships in planning, testing, procuring and developing Good consultant to write RFP and assist with procurement process Establish business rules for data consistency Recognize the dynamic nature of data collection and maintenance Get experienced vendor Get at least one in-house person to focus on implementation and up-keep