Enterprise systems being able to leap tall buildings in a single bound may be a bit of a stretch for CMS to accomplish, but I would like to highlight a recent blog by the former Superman of the Division of State Systems at CMS, Rick Friedman.
In Friedman's recent blog post
"The Fierce Urgency of NOW" he highlights several opportunities that have created an unprecedented time for states to move toward breaking down agency silos. Like any superhero who may fall victim to a weakness, states need to grasp that "in order for state Medicaid programs to receive the enhanced 90% IT match, they
must 'allow interoperability with health information exchanges, public health
agencies,
human services programs, and community organizations providing
outreach and enrollment assistance services' (underscore added) per the enabling
regulation."
Friedman goes on to mention the work that both NASCIO and APHSA have recently released on horizontal integration of systems and the importance of breaking down the silos that exist. Whether its Metropolis or the states, we all need to take a closer look at how we clean-up the Medicaid system with "this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save millions of dollars in program and
administrative costs, thousands of hours of staff time, and countless
opportunities to better serve America’s most vulnerable citizens."
If you look to the sky you may not always see a bird, a plane, or even superman...it might just be opportunity for states to take an enterprise approach that focuses on re-use and adaptability of emerging
technologies to find potential savings. I think MITAMAN has a bit of a ring to it, but I think this superhero would have to have the power to take advantage of a
Golden Opportunity. Who's your favorite state IT superhero? Cloud Surfer? Or maybe you have a favorite villain? Doctor Silo? Lex Legacy?
All joking aside, I hope you have the opportunity to read the blog post
"The Fierce Urgency of NOW" and read NASCIOs recent publication on
MITA 3.0.