CMS seeks to help states open new paths for Medicaid IT

Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have launched a one-stop online information center that helps companies connect with states that are trying to improve the IT aspects of their Medicaid delivery systems.

In a Jan. 11 blog post, Acting CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt said expanding the state-based IT infrastructure that supports Medicaid enrollment is a priority under new funding rules. Slavitt joined CMS after helping lead the private-sector members of the team that fixed HealthCare.gov.

He added that last month, CMS permanently extended the 90 percent federal match for states' investments in Medicaid systems. He said CMS' annual investment is more than $5 billion, and 2016 "will the most active year to date for Medicaid growth and new IT business prospects."

The new site seeks to help states evolve legacy Medicaid IT systems by moving away from custom-built solutions and instead adopting reusable technology, IT best practices, shared services and software-as-a-service capabilities, among others.

Another goal of the resource center is to open up opportunities for smaller companies to develop focused solutions that can serve more than one state and to adapt IT approaches used in other sectors, such as commercial insurance or larger provider systems.

In addition, Slavitt said his agency will issue a series of guidance documents, start a new certification process for Medicaid system modules and issue a request for information asking the broader IT vendor community how the agency can best position investments to break out of old IT solutions.

"We believe this approach will expedite states' IT timelines, decrease overall costs and ignite adoption of advanced technology solutions," he said.