AHS/DVHA Communication: October, 2011 – Volume XIII

  

October, 2011 – Volume XIII

This is the latest installment of the Agency of Human Services (AHS) and the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) monthly projects update (for distribution to vendors).  

Be advised, AHS and in particular, DVHA, is now beginning the utilization of social media to help deliver these updates.   From this point forward when an update is ready for release we will update an AHS-DVHA blog (http://vermont-ahs-dvha.blogspot.com/) and we will announce via twitter (@DVHAVermont) that the blog update is available.   Therefore you will need to follow us on twitter and/or be sure to check this blog for any updates.   We will continue with the bulk mailing of this update for another installment but afterwards you’ll need to follow us on twitter and/or follow our blog.

As previously noted, due to the current status of our projects and the abundance of inquiries and requests we have received for meetings, we are unable to respond equally to all of them and therefore we are sending out an informational update to keep all equally informed. Thank you for your interest in Vermont and we appreciate your understanding.  You may share this document with any business partners that you wish. 

Tropical Storm Irene had a tremendous impact on the State as it flooded our Waterbury Complex causing us to lose our infrastructure. Included in this loss was a period of almost two weeks where AHS staff were without email.  Some of the aftereffects are still being dealt with.  The following large projects are being managed within the Agency of Human Services (AHS):

• Procurement of Vermont’s Medicaid Enterprise Solution (MES) – replacement of Vermont’s Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS)
• With support and guidance from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), AHS withdrew the MES (Medicaid Enterprise Solution) RFP and will repost an MES RFP at a future date.  The date is not yet known at this time.
• The new RFP will focus heavily on the MITA (Medicaid Information Technology Architecture); Vermont’s health care vision; the needs of Vermont’s Act 48; CMS’s "Seven Standards and Conditions"; and the soon to be released CMS guidance on a MITA 3.0 framework.
• Infrastructure Components
• Accenture continues to work with State staff to implement the Oracle Suite of components which make up Vermont’s Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Infrastructure
• Procurement of Implementation Services (Vermont’s Integrated Eligibility Workflow System (VIEWS))
• AHS continues to plan for releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) and while our goal has been calendar quarter 3 of 2011, the State is working to prioritize and structure its RFP(s) in terms of VIEWS, HIX and MES needs. It appears it’s going to be calendar quarter 1 of 2012 before any RFP gets released. 
• VIEWS will include the technical, functional and information requirements of Vermont’s Act 48, and the health insurance exchange (HIX) as required by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Federal Health Care Reform)
• Vermont expects the VIEWS solution to be developed upon the SOA Infrastructure Components previously noted.
• Health Care Reform (HCR)

o       On June 16, AHS released an RFP for Health IT and Health Reform IT Portfolio Planning and Management.  

o       Proposals were received and evaluated and the State determined the most critical need to be section 10.3 (Communication and Change Management Assistance) and the State awarded this section to The Action Mill and has started efforts with them.

·        The State has decided that it will not be pursuing any other contracts associated with any other focus areas.

o       Vermont continues with its work with the multi-state Medicaid Assistance Provider Incentive Repository (MAPIR) to assist Vermont with its integration with the National Level Repository (NLR)

§         Vermont kicked off its EHR incentive program on Oct. 3

o       Vermont received approval of its State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan (SMHP) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

§         Vermont’s SMHP Implementation Advance Planning Document (IAPD) was submitted and Vermont has received verbal approval

o       Vermont has been working on the creation of its master Provider Directory and is currently developing requirements for its directory

o       As part of our efforts regarding the HIX, the State signed a contract with Bailit Health Purchasing procuring services related to planning and analysis for Vermont’s IE

• As part of the Insurance Exchange Innovations Grant (lead by Massachusetts and in conjunction with other NE States) the State is sharing information and leveraging best practices to address ACA needs
• The State continues to meet with key personnel from CMS, CCIIO, New England States working on details of what and how items, services, and documents can be shared/leveraged and in particular how they relate to VIEWS.

• The State is interested in having any interested vendor provide a "white-paper" on how they would recommend Vermont proceeding in terms of MES, VIEWS, HIX, HIT, Provider Directory and potential Single-payor.  We leave this open ended and put a quick turn-around on it to see what the vendor community is looking at, how they view things for Vermont, how they’d approach this work providing advice on how Vermont should proceed, and how vendors will respond when the clock is ticking.  The document must be NO MORE than three double-sided pages and sent to me by Oct. 12. 
• This is not an RFI and is an informal request.  Nothing is required to be submitted, and nothing that is submitted will be used for any other purposes than to inform our internal discussions.  Specifically, nothing submitted will be used in any formal reviews related to subsequent purchasing processes.

• State of Vermont RFPs can be viewed at:
• http://www.vermontbidsystem.com/; and
• http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/pca/bids/bids.php; and
• http://bgs.vermont.gov/purchasing/bids

As of this time, DVHA is not engaging in any vendor demonstrations.

Thank you,

Joe

[Please be advised of my new email address:  Joseph.Liscinsky@state.vt.us]

Joseph J. Liscinsky
Project Manager
Division of Health Care Reform
State of Vermont – Dept. of VT Health Access

289 Hurricane Lane

Williston, VT 05495

Office     (802) 879-5994
Mobile    (802) 233-6212http://dvha.vermont.gov<http://dvha.vermont.gov/>