Months, Not Years – Tech for the Wins in HHS Programs
Health and Human Services (HHS) organizations are facing unprecedented challenges that demand immediate action and visible results. Workforce shortages and burnout are straining the system. Increasingly, there is public demand for more efficiency and accessibility to support provision of critical services and benefits. Simultaneously, the pressure to improve health outcomes and maintain strict regulatory compliance has never been higher. These converging factors have created a perfect storm that is overwhelming HHS programs every day.
Implementation of the right, modern technology solutions is indisputable to quickly solve some of these most pressing issues. The need for quick wins is not just desirable—it's critical. By leveraging cutting-edge systems of engagement, HHS organizations can rapidly address these issues, enhancing worker productivity and citizen experiences, while also meeting rigorous regulatory requirements. The time to act is now, as every delay in implementation means missed opportunities to streamline operations, boost engagement, and ultimately, improve lives and communities.
Barriers to Quick Wins
For government HHS organizations, implementing new technology is an exercise in navigating competing priorities, lengthy procurement processes, and budgetary constraints. There are the obvious goals of improving service delivery, achieving better outcomes, and finding operational efficiencies. But there are also stringent requirements around security, compliance, and accessibility that cannot be compromised. These dichotomies can create a push and pull between program staff and technology partners.
Agency leadership, legislators and the tax paying public want to see real value and return on investment from any technology investment - and they want to see it quickly. Unfortunately, the traditional approach of deploying large, comprehensive IT solutions over multi-year schedules is increasingly being scrutinized and disrupted leading to significant cost and schedule overruns without delivering the value in a reasonable time, if at all. Moreover, the scope of these procurements does not invite innovation or yield incremental benefits.
A New Way of Thinking
At Diona, we have worked with many state and local HHS organizations to help them drive sustained value from mobile systems of engagement. Through that experience, we have learned the essential ingredients to finding those critical "quick wins" that can deliver ROI in months rather than years. Here are some of the approaches we recommend:
Rethink the Solution Roadmap - A strategic roadmap may call for a large, comprehensive solution deployed enterprise-wide over several years. But those "big bang" implementations are not only costly, but they also increase project risk. Additionally, the waterfall approach of rigorously defining all requirements upfront, then designing, developing, and deploying a complete solution does not lend itself well to rapid results. This approach was traditionally used for custom-built solutions and is not necessary for rapidly configured commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS), truly modular, solutions.
Mobile-Now - A better approach is to break that multi-year vision into smaller projects deployed iteratively to subsets of the user base. This allows the agency to achieve real ROI in phases while continuing an iterative deployment of additional capabilities over time. An iterative approach can identify the highest priorities, easiest segmented functions, and/or most valuable use cases first. Those become early phase deployments, with future phases extending the solutions into more sophisticated or expanded capabilities over time. The value of a “mobile-now” approach, for example, provides immediate relief to the front-line caseworkers or clients providing visible results and allowing more time for back-end modernization over time.
Domain Expertise - Start with purpose-built solutions for specific functions, rather than attempting to develop custom from scratch or even generic platforms. Organizations can accelerate time-to-value by leveraging purpose-built solutions designed specifically for HHS programs. Diona systems of engagement, for example, provide capabilities intentionally designed for child welfare, SNAP, integrated eligibility, child support and adult services (among others). These solutions support program specific business functions such as investigations, forms, assessments, benefits applications, incident reporting, payment tracking, and more. These out-of-the-box capabilities, which have been optimized for HHS programs, can be deployed in as little as three to four months while still allowing for jurisdiction branding, configuration, and integration with existing systems (e.g., case management, eligibility, document management).
Streamlined Procurement Channels - Traditional procurement approaches focused on monolithic RFP processes can extend deployments by twelve to eighteen months. By breaking large procurements into smaller, more manageable chunks (in scope and cost) organizations may be able to leverage different types of procurement channels that will accelerate the timeline. These include Master Service Agreements (e.g., GSA), IT services contracts, and cooperative purchasing agreements (e.g., NASPO ValuePoint) to quickly engage qualified solution providers. These nimble processes allow HHS programs to move from concept to working solution in just a few months.
Real Results, Quickly
So, what are the actual returns HHS organizations can expect from taking this quick win approach? Here are some examples of the key areas where mobile systems of engagement have quickly proven their value within and outside of HHS programs:
Citizen/Client Experience - By digitizing processes and putting mobile systems of engagement in the hands of clients, organizations improve their ability to meet clients where they are and at their convenience. Through self-service capabilities, clients can apply for benefits, manage their schedules, provide collateral materials and more. Using native technology that clients are already accustomed to using increases acceptance and empowerment providing a vastly improved customer experience over legacy paper-based processes or processes that required worker organizational interactions. As an example, the District of Columbia Department of Human Services implemented Diona Self Service in less than four months, allowing clients to apply for and manage SNAP, TANF and Medicaid benefits.
Workforce Enablement - Mobile systems of engagement also empower field staff by giving them access to the data, knowledge, and tools they need while working remotely. Comprehensive client information, evidence-based guidance, GIS mapping, and e-signatures allow for better informed decisions and actions. Adding offline capability also ensures productivity regardless of connectivity. This improves job satisfaction while equipping staff to provide higher quality services.
Operational Efficiency - Transitioning processes and data capture from paper to mobile significantly reduces administrative burdens. Case notes and visit reports written onsite are detailed, free of errors, and automatically submitted. Managers gain complete visibility into field activities without relying on staff to return to the office. Time previously spent on data entry, document handling, and record keeping can be reallocated to higher value activities.